What's Happened?
by ShinzuiOfIncantation
Summary: Zack makes a huge mistake and is expelled from the Lifestream to fix it. Only problem is, will he want to fix it? Will he be able to protect Cloud from the truth? And can an unknown aid stop Sephiroth's plans in time? ZackxCloud/jealous Sephiroth.
1. Zack

**(A/N)** So! It's the first thing I've posted in probably months. Just some thing I typed out when I was bored. It's intended to be a ZackxCloud story and Sephiroth just had to be involved, so I threw him in their too. I finished this chapter really late at night so I haven't proofread it yet. Who knows if I will? I'm just lazy that way. This story is from multiple points of view though I'm not quite sure how many yet. Anyway, please read and review. But don't review if you're going to be negative. Much appreciated. Oh! And I don't own any characters or anything else that belongs to Nomura or Square Enix. Gotta throw that out there.

--

I stared down into the mirror running through old memories and trying to find where everything had gone wrong. Just where had everything fallen apart? I could never answer. Even though I had new devises to help me remember, I couldn't piece it all together. I had tricked myself into thinking that the problem lay where Sephiroth finally snapped, but that wasn't it. The problem went deeper than that. A little angry I slammed my first down on edge of the pedestal where the mirror stood. The crystal clear water inside sloshed a little bringing a soft gasp from my lips. I always forgot that the stupid mirror was just some obsidian bowl with water inside. And if even the tiniest amount spilled out, the consequences were high and whatever you were looking at may change. I didn't believe it, I was always tempted to dump the whole damn thing out just to prove them all wrong, but something held me back from doing so. As if a part of me really thought it was true. Tch! Ludicrous!

"Are you still looking in that mirror?" Came a soft familiar voice. I turned around, already knowing who it was.

"Aerith." I said just to show my realization of her presence. Sporting an unusual frown, I turned back to the ever vexing mirror.

"Why do you insist on looking into that thing all day? Are you checking on Cloud again?" She asked in that normal endearing but dippy voice. I just knew she had on that sweet smile that seems to brighten the skies of the planet with its glow. Though it did nothing for me, not today anyway. I wasn't in the best mood. In fact as I thought about it, I'd been out of sorts all week. Not even those funny remnants could cheer me up. It was bizarre. I felt as though… something was going to happen. Something bad. Something I couldn't stop. The knowledge of that only agitated me more. My anger was growing. I could feel it burning inside of me.

"Zack? Are you okay?" I stopped that endless gyre once she broke my focus. It was almost a relief. "Zack, you're shaking." Aerith murmured with concern heavy in her voice.

I took a step back from the mirror and brought my hands up in front of me. They _were_ shaking, lightly but surely. Shrugging it off I put my hands flat on the pedestal in an attempt to steady them. I just saw small ripples in the water and the image of a certain beloved blonde appeared. Now _that_ made me smile. He always did. But the smile became a grimace when I saw the loneliness reflected in his eyes. He'd always been like that. He was surrounded by friends but still looked so morose it saddened me as well. I wanted to reach out and embrace him as I had done. I never wanted to leave him with such sorrow. Even four years before today, in Aerith's church after the third? Yeah, third defeat of Sephiroth. I regretted leaving him without a word. All I did was wave and turn away. I hated myself for weeks. I couldn't help it. I froze up. There was just something so… I dunno, powerful about him. All those years of hell and he still had that beautiful body.

"Zack?" Aerith asked again.

I hardly heard her. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts of the tantalizing little blonde. His pale velvety skin, his petal soft lips, unruly blonde hair, those piercing cerulean-blue eyes. Oh, those eyes that were only amplified by the yellow tinge of mako. I wanted to experience it all again. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair. I wanted to press my lips against his while embracing that small, yet built frame. There was nothing anyone could do to disrupt his features. He was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"Zack!" I instantly snapped out of my thoughts and looked up. That voice definitely was **not** Aerith. It was deeper, and a lot more masculine.

"Zack, what on earth are you dreaming about?"

"Angeal?" I said questioningly.

"Who else?" The older man replied.

"What do you want? I was busy." I closed my eyes after the sentence had been uttered. I wasn't able to keep my bitterness out of it.

"The Cetra want to speak with you. They're worried about you." He answered. I could hear he was worried just from them having mentioned it to him. "They say they sense a monstrous anger growing inside of you."

"So what if I _am_ angry?" I said whipping around. "I just know something ba—" I stopped. There was a chilling sensation on my hand and the sound of a splash that gave me a heart attack. Both Aerith and Angeal had the same expression. One of shock and horror. Cautiously, very cautiously, I glanced down. The bowl was on its side and the water had spilled out all over. "Oh no. Oh no, this can't be happening!" I yelled kneeling down to see the last splashes of water drop down to the planet below. "No! Damn it!"

"Zack…" Aerith gasped.

"Angeal, Aerith, what's going to happen?" I asked. This was bad. This was very bad, but I still felt as though something worse was going to occur.

"Um…" Aerith trailed off.

"This has never happened before." Angeal said shakily but sternly.

"Well… it has once. And what the person was looking at just vanished." Aerith answered. "What were you seeing in the mirror?"

"It… it was Cloud as he was as a cadet. I think it was anyway." I was scared now. What if I had killed Cloud? What if I had done something worse than kill him? What if he no longer existed? "No! Why am I so worried? Nothing bad is going to happen. You guys are just joking around, right?" I asked. Neither of them smiled. "Right?" I repeated meekly.

"There is the off chance that nothing will happen." Aerith sighed. "But really, anything could happen. Anything from loss of existence to hardly any effect at all."

I knew what we had to do to make sure I hadn't done anything. "Okay." I was attempting to be calm. "We need to fill this back up with water and see if we can find him in the mirror. If not, I'm doomed."

"There won't be time for that Zack." Angeal said sadly. "It's too late."

"What?! But this is im—" I didn't get to finish my sentence before I found myself standing in a circle of emotionless Cetra.

"Zack." A male spoke in a loud voice. "You've caused an imbalance on the planet beneath us."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." I said quickly.

"We're sorry Zackary…" This time it was a female who spoke. "…but we have no choice. We have to be fair to the others who have broken rules."

"But it was an accident." I practically cried. I'd broken rules before, but little ones. I'd never caused an imbalance. I had no idea what they were gonna do to me.

"We are aware that it was an accident." Another one spoke, this one sounded younger. "That is why we can be so lenient."

"But it doesn't change the severity of the situation." The louder one boomed. "We're expelling you."

My eyes went wide. Expulsion? What did that mean exactly? Was _I_ going to be erased from existence? The thought terrified me. Was I going to purgatory, to live in emptiness? Isolated and forgotten. The thought of being alone was not a nice one, not forever. I'd go insane.

"It will merely become a suspension if you find a way to fix what you have done." The younger one said calmly.

Suspension? Does that mean I have to just think about what I've done in purgatory?

"We all hope you can return safely." The woman added. "Hopefully, you learn how to fix this."

"Wait!" I shouted. "What exactly is going to happen?"

"We're sending you to the planet below." They all said at once.

"You will be as you were." Said the female.

"It wouldn't be a proper punishment if you couldn't experience pain. All of your human senses shall return." Said the loud one.

"What about Cloud?! What happened to him? I didn't erase him, did I?" I asked shakily. "And what about Angeal and Aerith. Will they be informed of what's happened?"

"We will tell everyone of your punishment." The young one mused.

"And as for your little friend, Zackary, he's alive. But not as he should be. Because you were looking at him, you turned back time on him and him alone. He is probably lost and afraid. And there's no one for him to turn to as he will soon find out."

I couldn't say anything else. I was so relieved that Cloud was alive. But that didn't stop that nagging feeling at the back of my mind. But before I could tell them, I felt myself sinking. I felt heavier and had this falling sensation. The scene around me seemed to rip away, I could still hear their voices. Someone else had approached them. I could see their facial features and they looked winded.

"There's an emergency!" I heard them yell. "Sephiroth has escaped!"

That was all I picked up before everything was gone. I was just falling and falling. Faster and faster until… I blacked out.

--

I woke up in Aerith's church, but there were some subtle differences to it. Her garden had been drowned and she was nowhere to be found. I couldn't help but wonder how she would react when she found out what had happened to me. I wondered how angry Angeal was with me. That was one bright side to this. I wouldn't have to deal with one of those lectures about responsibility and honor.

"Cloud!" I gasped when I came out of my nostalgia and remembered what I was supposed to do. "Oh. Where could he be? How far could he have gone? Last time I saw him… he was… in the… wasteland?"

The wasteland. There were a lot of nasty monsters out there. For all I knew, there were a lot of weirdoes too. That scared me more than the monsters. Now don't get me wrong. Cloud is not and was not naïve. Well, he was a little. Since the image of him I was seeing was the one from his innocence. After that thought, I could only imagine the horrifying image of poor little Cloud. He was probably scared and ready to trust the first "friendly" person that came up to him.

"Oh no. I'm not gonna let some greasy, disgusting, pimply, big-nosed bastard touch my Cloudy boy!" I said dashing out of the water. I was infuriated by the image I had created of some nerd in stupid looking glasses and bad teeth. A nerd who wished he was even good enough to be a wangster but he couldn't even pull that off. Oh! That wasn't going to happen.

I ran through the city of Edge drawing much attention, but I hardly noticed or cared. I just wanted to get to that wasteland. I wanted the relief to come back. My pace was too slow; I had to be motivated by something. Something more agitating than the image of the nerd. That was gonna be hard to beat. I thought and thought but nothing was coming. That is, until I remembered that little piece of information I'd picked up. Sephiroth was loose. I did not want him within five miles of Cloud. A nerd I could beat up, but Sephiroth._ The Sephiroth_? The most powerful SOLDIER there ever was? I wouldn't stand a chance. Not after what happened last time. I rubbed my chin at the memory.

No. I had to find Cloud before he did. It was obvious that he'd come to exact his revenge after his failure four years ago. And Cloud wouldn't remember that he's not to be trusted. He'd go with the "General" anywhere. I just couldn't bear the thought of my failure. The thought of Sephiroth killing Cloud before he even knew what was happening. I'd never forgive myself.

Those thoughts certainly helped my speed. I was going as fast as I could. At least I thought it was as fast as I could. I still wasn't used to this solid body. It'd been years since I'd used it. It was heavy and I was beginning to succumb to fatigue fairly quickly. That was out of the ordinary. As I remember, I could run for miles without running out of breath. The fact that I was getting tired so quickly was not something I liked. How was I supposed to get anything done with this problem? The only thing I could do was hope that as I got used to the body, my strength would return. That hope didn't change how angry I was. I just had to focus on finding Cloud. Once I found him my rage would subside. And I **would** find him. Nothing was going to get in the way of that.

--

I passed many rock formations and searched behind each and every one. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the tracks of Guard Hounds. I was just barely able to keep myself calm. Everything about this place was making me paranoid. I looked toward the slightest sound. Inching my way to my final resting place. It was the last place I wanted to go and probably the first place I should have looked. Cloud went there often, and eventually I would need the Buster Sword.

"I can't go up there. I don't want to remember…" I whispered. Not that I was scarred by the experience. I merely didn't want to smell my own blood. With my enhanced sense of smell and the amount of blood I'd lost, I doubt it'd have a positive effect on me. There was a theory that if you ever encountered anything from your death, you'd go mad. Once I'd reached the foot of the cliff and already getting a whiff of the stench. I dared not go any closer.

Stepping back I heard the howl of a Crimson Hound. I looked around and tried to run in the direction I had heard the call, but it was moving constantly. I really hated my lack of control over my body. "I just have to find Cloud." I told myself. That was what it all came down to. Once I found him I could rest.

I had slowed down to a jog when I saw something up ahead. It looked like fire. Was it a signal of some sort? No. Cloud couldn't use materia. "Oh! When I find him he's gonna owe me big." I sighed. I paused for a moment and thought. What could I ask of, without being too harsh? I'd have to think about it later. Right now finding him was more important.

Approaching the fire cautiously. It seemed to be swishing back and forth as if it were attached to a branch or something. Closer investigation showed that the fire was attached to a tail which connected to a red thigh. I rounded the corner quickly and found a red lion with a crimson mane and many bizarre markings all over its body. There were rings around its ankles, beads in its mane, and piercings in its ears. One thing that stood out in particular was a mark on its left shoulder that read "XIII". Even after that, it took me a while to process who it was.

"Nanaki?" I asked. He stirred and opened his left eye.

"Who are you?" He groaned. He got up and sniffed the air.

"I'm Zack. Zack Fair." I answered. I was slightly disappointed when he didn't know me, but what did I expect?

"My apologies. You're the one Cloud talks about so rarely." Nanaki sighed. He stopped suddenly and sniffed the air once more. "Guard Hounds…"

"What?" I asked when another howl broke through the silence.

"A Crimson Hound as well." Nanaki growled. "He's calling for more hunters."

"Hunters? What are they after? Where are they?"

"They're off to the north." He answered. "About a mile out, but heading this way."

"Damn! How do I take care of them with no weapon?" I Cursed.

"Why would you need to do that? They need to eat just like everything else."

"Nanaki, what is there to eat out here?" I asked.

"Not very much and hounds eat flesh which is scarce out here." He said.

"You see, I was looking for someone out here and I think they may be hunting him down. So I'd be a little on edge."

I just barely finished my sentence before something came into view. Instantly my suspicions were confirmed. A herd of about ten Guard Hounds were chasing after a terrified, scratched and winded blonde. I could hardly control myself. I started toward them at how fast I thought I could go, but my speed increased when I saw Cloud suddenly collapse.

Dust flew up around him and he was then surrounded by those horrid beasts. My rage skyrocketed. I was able to keep up pace with Nanaki, who had bolted once he caught on to the scent. I didn't even think of how I didn't have a weapon on me. I just ran toward them and jumped into the circle recklessly. I landed right in front of Cloud. He was so scared and on the brink of tears. I had to embrace him right then, right there. There was no way to control it. The Guard Hounds around us disappeared and it was just the two of us.

I just let my arms encircle his small, shaking body. He didn't seem to be settling in at all. I found that odd. He should've been happy to see me. It was only when I heard him shout that I realized where we were.

The Crimson Hound had pounced. Its fangs bared in a snarl. I couldn't think of anything else to but press Cloud closer to me. His eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, and shaking even more rapidly. I felt like an idiot. We were both about to die all because I couldn't wait to show my affection until after I'd saved him. We could both just stare at the monster launching toward us. My periphery caught a flash of red and then the danger was averted. Nanaki had saved us…

Yes. He'd saved us. But now the Guard Hounds were swarming him. He could only take so many. I had to do something, anything. But all of my thoughts were trailing back to one thing. I couldn't stop thinking about him though I held him in my arms. That was rather pathetic of me. I couldn't help it. He was so… amazing. How could I not think of him while my arms were wrapped around his slender waist? I just wanted my hands to slip lower. But this wasn't the time for that. Nanaki was in trouble. The Guard Hounds were beginning to overpower him. I apparently had missed something because there were more than ten now. My eyes spotted, eighteen, nineteen, twenty… twenty one with about five dead on the ground. I thought Nanaki could take more than that? Was he coherent?

Before anyone even had time to think, I had put Cloud down and run off to help the lion with the hideous beasts. Starting with a rush assault, I released a series of rapid kicks and punches. Landing many hits, but hardly doing damage. I didn't care. The attacks were knocking them all away and I didn't have so much pride that I wouldn't run. It seemed the only option now. I wasn't as strong at the moment, Cloud wasn't himself and, for reasons unknown, Nanaki was incoherent.

I couldn't help but glance off to the side to see if Cloud was okay. He was the opposite of okay. A Crimson Hound had sunk its teeth into the fabric of his pant leg and was trying to drag him off. Cloud had drawn his nightstick with one hand and clawing at the dirt with the other. His eyes had done the impossible by getting bigger and rounder. I just had to charge. I had to help him. But that damn circle of Guard Hounds was preventing me from advancing in his direction. He whacked the Crimson Hound in the snout with his nightstick. That did next to nothing except piss it off. It released its teeth from his pant leg and proceeded to lunge and try to bite through his jugular vein. I kept my eyes on the poor little blonde as he shielded himself by bringing his arms up in front of him. This got him more scratches and a strong jaw clamped down on his unprotected forearm. He let out shriek only to be answered by a bullet.

--

I was shocked. Though I was thankful for the aid, the sound of a gunshot is the last thing I wanted to hear. And as though the planet were making fun of my reaction there was next a barrage of gunshots. It didn't seem to end. When I was finally able to open my eyes and look. All of the hounds were dead. Nanaki had fallen asleep again for some reason and Cloud's eyes were welling up. The Crimson Hound's jaw was still latched onto to his left forearm and blood was seeping out of the open wound.

"Cloud!" I shouted running over to him. He turned to look at me. Probably relieved that a distraction had come so not to look at the blood pouring out of his arm. "Let me help with that." I said putting both hands on the jaw of the Crimson Hound. I didn't even think of who saved us. It never occurred to me to thank him or anything. I couldn't focus on anything but treating Cloud's wound. I took a firm hold of the jawbones and pulled them apart with all my might. They hardly budged, but I kept at it.

"Allow me." Said a low voice. I looked up at the source. It was a tall, thin man with long, unruly black hair. His skin was pale and his eyes were a piercing red. A red mantle covered the lower half of his face and went halfway down his arms. The rest of his clothes were black, but that didn't stop me from staring at the golden claws extending from his left hand.

He stooped down on one knee and placed his hands on the beasts jaw bone. Cloud had shut his eyes tight and looked away as the man pried apart the jaws with ease. I envied his strength, but hopefully not for long. But who knew? Maybe even my SOLDIER strength couldn't compare. I wasn't completely sure on just what exactly was done to _Vincent Valentine._

"Get his arm out." Vincent said almost with a sigh. I snapped out of my train of thought and gently raised Cloud's arm out of the now broken mouth. The gunman shredded a small piece off of the cape extending from the mantle and wrapped it around the bite. "It'll have to be cleaned."

"Thanks Vincent." I sighed. The relief had returned. I picked up the small blonde and held him close to my chest. He didn't seem to be recoiling. Of course, as I remembered, he _was_ very needy and always had been apparently. I didn't care though. It didn't bother me at all. He craved affection and I craved to give it. That's why we worked so well together. I only hoped that we could get that again.

"Who…" Vincent started, but trailed off. "I remember you. I thought you were just a dream. But… you're the one that opened my coffin." He said. I would assume it was accusingly, but his tone was flat. I couldn't be sure.

"_You_ were in that coffin?" I asked. Of course I recognized him, I just wanted to make some conversation to calm myself and Cloud down. His breathing was slightly irregular and I could feel his heart pounding. "I considered poking you. Thought you ought to know."

There was no response to that.

"Which now that I think about it, if I had, it probably would have changed a lot." I said realizing that I shouldn't probably talk about things like that in front of Cloud. I had to handle him delicately. Wouldn't want to give him future shock.

"Who is this feeble little boy? He almost looks like…"

"Cloud?" I asked smugly.

"How could he be…?"

"This _is_ Cloud." I said. "I'm Zack, and you are…?" I had to try and make it seem like a simple introduction. Otherwise Cloud would get confused. It was then that I saw just how big a job this was.

"Vincent Valentine." The gunman answered. "Is there something I should know?"

"Shhh. I'll tell you later." I whispered. I put my hand on the back of Cloud's head, running my fingers through that soft blonde hair and cradled him. He was very quiet. Unusually quiet. Either I got my dates wrong and he already knew me intimately, or he hardly knew me and was just being meek and cooperative. It didn't matter to me at the moment. I knew how to get him to calm down. I guess that was one other bright side to my future knowledge. I knew exactly what would knock him out and it worked every time. All I had to do was cradle him comfortably and slowly rock him back and forth. It'd lull him to sleep and he'd be out in a matter of minutes.

It was silent for quite a while. Vincent was never much of a talker. Not even to those thugs in Deep Ground. Now _they_ were the monsters. Killing and enjoying it? Why did the higher ups always think it was a good idea to have an army of monsters? People they put in such extreme situations that they became ill and their mind could be molded and manipulated. It was disgusting. Since Vincent wasn't talking, I let my mind wander.

For the first time, since I'd come back, I didn't think of Cloud… at first anyway. I thought about Sephiroth. Why had he escaped at _that_ time? _How _did he know to escape? Did someone help him? He's found ways out before, but it always had to be with some loophole of the system. He'd never just escaped before. Was he so determined to get revenge? Was that even what this was all about? I had so many questions that couldn't be answered.

"We should get moving." Vincent said suddenly. I snapped out my thoughts again.

"Okay." I said looking down. Cloud was sound asleep. He was so cute. He looked so peaceful and innocent. That was befitting, since he was in fact innocent… not so peaceful all the time. But that would hopefully change. Unless, of course, Sephiroth really did mean to track him down and torture him. I had to somehow confirm if that was true. "Does that mean I have to find Sephiroth?" I said aloud.

"What?!" Vincent hissed. I had just noticed I'd said that aloud and turned to look at him. For once, he actually looked shocked.

"Well…" I said hesitantly. I guess I just ruined my secrecy. I was going to have to explain things now, or no one would trust me. "No matter how ludicrous it sounds, just hear me out." I sighed making sure there were no interruptions. "I've recently come back from the Life stream. And it's _my_ fault that Cloud is like… this. So they expelled me as a punishment for causing an imbalance… annnnd on my way out I picked up some information. It seems that… Sephiroth has….. escaped." I said nodding. "Yup. That's the story so far."

"You expect me to believe that?" Vincent glared.

"Not exactly. But I was hoping since it's the true story." I answered.

Looking down at the small body in my arms, I felt a smile begin to sneak across my lips. His head was on my shoulder, which wasn't exactly the most comfortable place. I still had my armor on. He didn't look uncomfortable. He just brought one of his tiny hands to his face and rubbed his eye. I hope that didn't mean he was waking up. We were walking, completely forgot about Nanaki, and I wouldn't have time to lull him back to sleep. But I didn't wanna put him down. Much to my relief, he didn't stir again. His arm just fell back to rest with the other on his stomach. I was glad he didn't seem to mind the cold, hard armor on my shoulders. I was still wearing my SOLDIER uniform after all. But something about him wasn't as simple and relieving. His clothes had somehow changed back into his cadet uniform. I never understood how clothing magically changed size and color. I had only turned back time on him, not his clothing. It was as confusing as when Kadaj became Sephiroth and was no longer wearing his normal outfit, but Sephiroth's SOLDIER outfit. That baffled and agitated me, and so did this. It didn't bother me that much though. It was Cloud, and that uniform always looked so great on him.

"Zack?" Vincent asked. I knew why he spoke up. I could tell my face had contorted to reflect my disgust. We just passed close under the cliff where my final resting place lay. The smell of my blood was heavy and it invaded my nostril and buried deep into my sinuses. I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

"It's okay. We just need to keep moving." I said stiffly, trying to hold my breath as I spoke.

"Will you be alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I sighed taking a deep breath as we passed the cliff. I could see Edge appearing in the distance. "So, getting back to you not believing me. What else can you believe? It all adds up. Cloud is… sixteen, I'm alive and there's a twister-like storm off to the west."

"What…?"

"Sephiroth likes to make a flashy entrance." I said causally. "The only conclusion I can come to, is that Sephiroth has returned to take his revenge on Cloud and I can hope that he hasn't come back at _this_ time because of the mistake I made."

"So let's pretend I _do _believe you." Vincent sighed. "How did you make this 'mistake'?"

"That's something I can't tell you. I have to try and fix the imbalance, not cause an even bigger one." I said pulling the first thing I could think of out of my ass. I knew it didn't make any sense, but hopefully he understood that it meant I had to keep my mouth shut about the beyond.

--

It was a long and awkward walk back to Edge. But we made it there without saying another word. Cloud was asleep the whole way back and even now, he was sleeping on the couch in Tifa's Seventh Heaven. Not even Tifa's screaming whispers woke him up. She'd been screaming about something for the last half hour, but I was just looking at the little blonde.

He was all curled up on his side. It didn't help my focus at all knowing that he was facing me. I wished Tifa would just shut up and leave us alone for a few minutes. Then again Vincent was also in the room. Same old scowl, blank stare, arms folded across his chest. Wishing he would go too, I was only able to restrain my inner thoughts by scolding myself. To even think of doing things to people when they were asleep wasn't my style. I had to remember that. I didn't want to turn out like Sephiroth after all.

"ZACK!!!" Tifa shrieked when she noticed I wasn't paying attention.

I grinned stupidly but in an apologetic way. Something or someone hiding in the doorway caught my eye. Two little somethings actually. Both with brown hair, a boy and a little girl. The little girl had brown eyes while the boy had blue eyes. Denzel and Marlene. Maybe _they_ would get Tifa to calm down. She seemed to be distracted when they both came slinking into the room.

"Tifa, where's Cloud?" Denzel asked.

She looked to me as if asking if they should know. I shrugged, they probably would see through any lie she told them, why not tell them the truth?

But before she had time to do anything, Marlene sat herself down on the couch without looking. She didn't even notice she'd sat on someone until Cloud yelped. I was devastated. I was happy. I didn't know how I felt. Cloud was awake. Part of me wanted to see him sleep again, but part of me just wanted to hold him again. I knew full well that I couldn't do that. He was probably scared from the last time I had done it. The best thing to do right now was leave him alone. That's exactly what I did. I walked past him, trying not to glance at him with all of my strength, and walked out the door. I was going to find out what Sephiroth was up to.

--

I walked the streets of Edge, seeing many people. I didn't know any of them. Nothing was coming back to me. I'm sure I'd seen many of these people before, but I couldn't pin them to anything in my memory. They were all otherwise faceless phantoms to me. That is until a young man approached me. He couldn't have been any older than twenty. His face showed no emotion, but his eyes showed fear.

"Zack?" He said trying to be brave.

"Yes." I answered. "I'm guessing you're a messenger of some sort."

He just nodded and turned to walk away. I followed behind as closely as I could. Edge may be small but you never knew when some nut was gonna show up. I just wanted to stay out of trouble.

To my "great surprise", we ended up at the old Shinra building. I looked up and imagined it how it was. When I didn't know any better. The huge building had seemed so magnificent. So many floors and only two elevators. Clearly a design flaw. I felt a smile creeping up, I could hardly stop it. Of course those thoughts vanished when I began to think of Kunsel. I never knew what had happened to him. I was kind of relieved to see Sephiroth. The sight of him brought me out of my thoughts of my old friend.

"Where is he Zack?" Sephiroth ordered.

"So I _was_ right in the suspicion that you are completely predictable." I sighed. "When did it become so easy to read your moves?" I asked putting a hand to my forehead.

Sephiroth did nothing for a moment. Then, with a swish of his hand, he stabbed the young man that brought me there. My jaw dropped and not even thinking, I ran over to him. Blood was spewing out of his mouth and his eyes had glazed over. Even though the life was leaving them I could now see the boy he once was. The pickpocket from Wall Market. The boy who stole my wallet, but gave it back. The boy I helped retrieve his wallet from the worms. I couldn't believe it. And yet, here he was, dead because of me. It was not a good feeling to know that someone died and you knew it was because of you. I should've seen an outburst like that coming.

"Calm down Zack, I was going to kill him anyway." Sephiroth said taking a step forward. "Now, no one else will die if you simply tell me where to find Cloud."

"You think I'd sell out my friend?" I growled.

"Zack. Tell me where he is or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?!" I snapped. "Who else is that close to me, that you think I'd give up Cloud?!"

"No one in particular. I'll just go through with my plans to destroy this planet, killing everyone on it. Now what's one person to the lives of everyone?"

That was it; I'd had enough of his crap. Someone had to speak up and open his eyes to his own madness. "Why do you want revenge so badly?!" I yelled. "What could Cloud have possibly done?!"

"He's humiliated me."

"So now you're going to humiliate him?! Just because he kicked your sorry ass a few times?!"

"ZACK!!!" Sephiroth hollered. I stopped my rant and tried to calm down before I pissed him off even more. I feared for my life slightly, but something made me feel as though he wouldn't kill me. Even if given the opportunity. "Just tell me where he is. I'm not going to kill him."

"What's happened to you? The Sephiroth I knew never thought revenge was a good idea."

"He's dead along with the lie of the life he knew." He answered rather bluntly. "Now where's Cloud? I have to capture him now while it'll be less of a hassle."

"What?!" I gasped. "You know?"

"Know… about your little accident? Of course I do Zackary. Why do you think I picked now to execute my plan? Tricking Kadaj into aiding me in my escape wasn't hard."

"I don't care Sephiroth. I won't hand him over." I answered.

No way would I hand over Cloud to that monster. I wanted to spend more time with him. I had yet to hear that lyrical voice. I wanted to get close to him again. But now I had to get away from Sephiroth without him following me. Then I'd have to take Cloud somewhere else. Staying at Tifa's was way too obvious. I couldn't think of anywhere else to go at the moment, but that wasn't the current problem. The current problem was getting away from this psycho quickly and effectively. But that was easier said than done. I could see his eyes waiting to lock on to any move I made. He was watching me intently.

As I was thinking, I was bombarded by an awful smell. Taking the time to actually observe the floor. I saw the black fluid snaking through the tiles. Was it oil? Only one way to find out. I brought fire up into the palm of my hand. Seeing the possibility of attack, Sephiroth braced himself. But instead I threw the dancing flames at the floor. Whatever that fluid was, it ignited fast. Sephiroth barely moved before he was surrounded by fire. Most likely, by the time he could see through the smoke, I was gone.

I ran back towards the bar constantly looking over my shoulder. When I looked ahead of me, I saw the bar coming into view. By then I'd already made up my mind.

I was taking Cloud to Wutai.

--

**(A/N)** Remember to review so I know if people like it. I'll try to get another chapter out by next week.


	2. Cloud

**(A/N)** Chapter 2! Sorta! It's not revised, but I'll do that later. I just wanted to get it posted this week. And I don't claim to own Final Fantasy VII. I wish I did.

--

The streets of Edge were calm. They'd been calm after that little Deep Ground assault three years ago. I didn't mind the calm, but it didn't stop me from thinking something was missing from my life. Something along the lines of excitement. Maybe I was just twisted and loved the thrill of danger. Thoughts like that always made me wonder, was I a masochist? How do you tell if you are one? Most people would figure it was obvious, but I just had to make things complicated.

I looked up at the sky once I realized the sun had disappeared. Everything had gone dark. It was then that I began to get this strange feeling. There was something very odd about today. Something that seemed familiar but distant. I wasn't sure what I felt. In the end I decided to ignore it and keep moving as if it were a normal day.

Slowing making my way back to the bar, I passed by Denzel and Marlene playing outside. I almost smiled and walked inside. Tifa was cleaning glasses; apparently business was coming more frequently. I simply ghosted past her and went upstairs. Just biding my time until the sun went down. Every day the same, every face the same. Day in, day out. Nothing out the normal routine ever happened. I felt as though I had fallen into a rut and couldn't get back out. Just clawing at the sides, craving some excitement, but never getting a response. When did my life become so boring?

I figured I'd better just stop thinking like that and get back in the rut before I got in trouble. Sighing I walked into one of the upstairs bedrooms and threw myself down on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, there really wasn't anything left to do besides go through and make sure I remembered all of the deliveries I had to make tomorrow.

Once that was done, I looked out the window, then at the clock. It was barely past noon. Maybe I'd just fall asleep and not wake up. That'd be nice for a few days. It'd be something out of the norm. But no, I couldn't do that. Eventually I just decided to get up and possibly go _looking_ for trouble. What else could I do? "Guess I'm having trouble with adjusting after all." I sighed. People like me just weren't meant for a peaceful life.

I walked back down the stairs. Tifa was done with the dishes and I guess on break. She looked up as I walked by, hope for something in her eyes.

"Cloud?" She asked uncertainly. "Denzel and Marlene are going to see a friend, would you like to go get something to eat this evening?"

I stopped not really knowing how to answer. I didn't feel like going out, but it was something different. Deciding in the end there was nothing wrong with it, I nodded. "That sounds great. I'll be back in an hour or two."

"Where are you going?"

"To see Zack." I replied while walking out the door. As soon as I got outside, something began souring my mood. I heard thunder off in the distance. The sky itself looked angry. But weather wasn't going to stop me. I jumped on Fenrir and took off toward the wasteland.

--

Once in the wasteland, I rode up to the cliff where the buster sword stood. Rooted to the ground for it seemed like ages. It had been weathered down and rusted in places. It looked almost nothing like it had when I first saw it. Still, I had to smile at it. It was potentially the last and only link to my best friend. I'd still found myself wishing it weren't true. Hoping to see him alive again. But every time I see that it's been so many years. There's no way he'll ever be just around the corner.

There was another crash of thunder and then rain began pouring down. But I sensed something strange about it. But the more I thought the more I began to slip away. My mind was going blank. Everything was spinning, dizzying. I felt as though I was going to pass out, but my mind wouldn't give in.

I suddenly felt a cringe of pain course through me when it seemed like my body was compacting in. I fell to my knees just trying to hang on, sensing myself getting weaker, but somehow that seemed right. Everything started going up now. It was like I was falling. The dusty wasteland was torn away and I was in darkness with almost no light to be found. Still I fell further down towards something. I squinted my eyes to try and see it. As the form was becoming clearer, I started falling slower. It was like I was in water and suddenly I could kick upward. As soon as I tried, there was a dull red glow beneath my feet. I looked down at the form again. With the light coming from between the two doors on the top of it, it was clear to see that it was a sarcophagus. My eyes went wide and I kicked madly when the doors flew open.

The red glow streaming out of the sarcophagus looked like blood, only to be pulled back in when everything started getting sucked inside. 'What's going on?!' I thought when I felt myself getting pulled in. I pushed upward and kicked as hard as I could, but it didn't seem to be helping at all. I was still falling. My heart almost stopped when I saw the edges of the sarcophagus appear in the periphery of my vision. My back slammed hard against the wood in the bottom of the casing before the doors began to shut. "No!" I screamed reaching out only to be surrounded by darkness again. The doors had shut tight and my limbs stopped working. My mid was finally slipping away and then… I slept.

--

I opened my eyes putting on a confused look. Where was I? Why wasn't I back at Shinra? Wasn't that where I just was? How did I get all the way out here? Had the other cadets played a prank on me? No. They wouldn't go through all the trouble to put me out in this wasteland all the while risking getting in trouble themselves. Some of them were stupid, but not that stupid. As I stood up, I could see Midgar off in the distance. At least I thought it was Midgar. There was no smoke or big smog cloud above the city. I was in so much trouble when I got back. I had to wonder what my captain was gonna do to me. I had no alibi. What could I tell them? I really had nothing to say other than, I simply got lost. That story would never hold. I was probably going to be sent to the general. The man terrified me. Everyone else was merely intimidated, but I hid every time I saw him coming.

I was pathetic.

I snapped back to my senses with an unwelcome growl. I cautiously turned to look for the source. I found a hulking crimson figure with snarling fangs and hungry eyes. Saliva was dripping from its jaws as I watched it lick its lips.

"Um… hello." I said curiously.

It showed no understanding. It merely raised its paw and brought its claws down slashing across my chest and tearing my jacket a little. "Ah!" I shouted falling down on the ground. That was a big mistake on my part. As soon as I was down, the beast howled and soon I heard more coming. "No! That's a very bad… thing!" I yelled standing up.

Before I could even think of what to do, three more beasts had appeared. I instinctively reached for my gun, but it wasn't there. That wasn't good. How was I supposed to fend off these things without my AK-47? I felt around for my nightstick. It was there, but I had no time to draw it before they all pounced. I jumped backward and found myself plummeting off the cliff and rolling down the incline. I could feel my bones coming to the brink of snapping, my skin bruising. I hadn't felt this bad since my captain gave me that beating on the first day I'd met my comrades.

Once I'd reached the bottom, I laid there letting the stinging sensation mellow down for a few moments before I scrambled to my feet and ran. The herd of them coming after me. It sounded like more of them had joined the pack, but I was too afraid to look back. I just had to keep running. If I stopped, I'd surely be devoured within minutes. I wanted to shout, but there was no one out there. That was already certain. Someone would've come by now. When I shouted the first time, they would've heard me. Maybe someone was out here. Maybe they were just out of earshot. Should I just yell and hope someone hears me? I told myself 'no'. I had to save my breath. If I shouted, I'd run out of breath faster and that'd stop me from running. That, quite bluntly, wasn't an option.

I didn't know how long I'd been running. But fatigue was really starting to get to me. Now there were even more of those disgusting hounds following me. I could hear that they were getting closer. How I'd managed to stay ahead of them this long was a mystery. As I thought, two of them jumped out in front of me and nipped at my ankles. It scared me, but I knew they were just trying to get me to make a mistake. If I made a mistake, it'd be the last thing I'd ever do. I glanced above me at the ledges overhead. The monsters were up there too. Jumping from ledge to ledge. They were so much faster than me. Why were they doing this? They could've had me instantly. Why were they playing this game with me? I hated it. If they were going to kill me, why not just do it and get it over with? I could feel myself starting to cry, but I refused. I didn't want to be weak even though I looked it; I wanted to prove them all wrong. I wanted to be strong. It bothered me that these monsters were toying with me like this, but I had to keep my spirits up.

Squinting, I could see something blazing in the distance. Two more figures were coming into view. One was another beast and the other was a man. I couldn't tell who the man was from this distance, but he was my last ray of hope. I opened my mouth to shout, but as I did everything was suddenly in the air and I was in the dirt. Dust just flying up all around me. Coughing and gasping, I looked up trying to see more clearly. The beasts had surrounded me. This was not good. Knowing my death was eminent made it harder and harder to hold back those damn tears.

I had almost lost control when the man I saw in the distance landed in front of me. He was tall, very tall. Long black hair with a single strand hanging down in front of his face. His eyes were a deep blue and he wore a first class SOLDIER uniform.

--

I was relieved. A SOLDIER was just what I needed to be saved. And he wasn't just a SOLDIER, he was a first. But he didn't attack; he didn't show any signs of taking any action whatsoever. He didn't even acknowledge that those beasts were there. He just stared at me. All I could do was stare at him. I was almost asking him why he wasn't doing anything. Was he sent to look for me, just to kill me for desertion? No. His eyes didn't say that at all. He leapt forward and that made me doubt my previous thoughts. I shut my eyes waiting for my life to end…! Something hit me. But I wasn't hurt. It was the SOLDIER. He'd grabbed me but he wasn't hurting me at all. No. What exactly _was_ he doing? I was so confused. Why wasn't he doing anything? The beasts were all around us, but he wouldn't do anything.

I opened my eyes to see the fabric of his shirt. His arms were tight around me. He was _holding _me? Why was he doing that?! Not that I didn't appreciate it, but it was awkward and not helping the situation. I turned around still locked in is embrace. I felt his warmth against my body. It felt so good. It was almost relaxing. It was like I somehow knew him. Still, no matter how good it felt to be in his embrace, I was fully aware of our predicament. I just noticed that I was shaking. There was nothing good about this right now. For one, I didn't even know this man; and another, there were around fifteen angry beasts surrounding us. I couldn't relax even slightly. I was so tense. I hoped he could feel it or catch on and actually save me before doing… whatever it was he was doing.

"Ah!"

I hadn't even noticed I'd screamed until I did it. The crimson monster had sprung into the air and was flying towards us. My eyes felt like they would fall out of my sockets I'd opened them so wide. This… hound had launched itself at us. Its fangs looked about ready to tear us both to shreds and all this SOLDIER did was tighten his grip on me. I wasn't planning on going anywhere. I could assure him of that. If anything, he was leading me to believe that my first assumption, of him being sent to kill me, was true. Either that or he was an idiot. I was so confused by everything that I didn't know what to feel. I was angry at him for doing this, but I was scared and wanted the embrace, and I kinda thought it was sweet that he was trying to comfort me like this. But it didn't change the growing fact that we were both going to die. Right here, right now. I wanted to cover my eyes, but my pride wouldn't allow it. At least I wouldn't die alone.

But being the pathetic coward that I was, I shut my eyes and looked away. Again, just waiting for it all to end, but it didn't. Something happened and that fearsome growl was no longer in my ears. Why was I that lucky twice? I'd never been this fortunate before. Everything bad always happened to me. I was prone to it. I was always getting the blame, always getting in danger. It's a wonder I hadn't died already. That didn't matter though. Maybe now, if I worked up the courage, I'd be able to go home.

I opened my eyes and searched for what had saved us. It was… a lion, or was it a wolf? The face looked feline, but the bodily features looked more canine. Whatever it was, it was red and had a fiery tail. It was fiercely attacking all of the other beasts. It seemed such a short time before five lifeless bodies hit the dust. I had to hope it was on our side. Hope that it wasn't just fighting them off for its own meal. It sounded weird, but I had a list of ways I did **not** want to die and getting eaten was one of them. But my eyes started to tear up when the red lion was swarmed. I watched frozen as the beasts advanced on him and momentarily broke their focus on us.

The man holding me twitched a little. His right thumb started stroking my side. I glanced up questioningly. But he wasn't even looking at me. He was staring at the lion in peril. Did he even notice he was doing it? Was it just a nervous habit he had? Well as long as he kept it at that, I could dismiss it. I found some upsetting emotions popping up when I was set on the ground. These were immediately replaced with zest when I saw the SOLDIER finally charging into action. He was amazing, just rushing in there with no fear of being torn down himself. No restraint, no sign of weakness. His power was one that was greatly coveted.

I was so excited to see an actual SOLDIER fighting. I was like some dorky kid watching his favorite Saturday morning cartoon. Just exhilarated and waiting for my chance to rise up and fight my own demons. I dreaded the moment when it came. Fate was as cruel to me as ever. One of the monsters had jumped me from behind. Where was the honor in that? Why was I even asking that? It was just some hungry, brainless beast.

I didn't even know what was happening. I was fine and then I was on the ground and being dragged across the dust. I reached out with a gloved hand and dug my fingers into the dirt at a desperate attempt to save myself. I had taken on that last instinct of fight or flight. Since flight wasn't an option with that thing's teeth lodged in my pant leg. When I came to the realization that all was lost, all I could think of was how much of a goner I was. It suddenly struck me that I had my nightstick. It was my only chance. I whipped it out and smacked the beast right across the snout. A direct hit! But it didn't seem to harm it at all.

In a flash it tore its teeth from my pant leg and then made for my neck. That was definitely vital. Reacting on instinct, again, I brought my hands up in front of me. I felt more claws scrape across my body and something heavy clamping down on my forearm. At first I was stunned, it was only when the acidic sting of pain shot through me that I lost control and cried out without restraint. All I heard next was a loud 'bang' and then the growling of the beast attached to me stopped. The pain didn't stop. It was searing by now. I could hear a dull noise. It sounded like more fire from a handgun of some sort. Too bad that couldn't keep my mind off of the pain. Did I dare glance at it?

I might as well…

Why do I always regret my decisions? That thing was definitely dead. Its eyes were lifeless and glazed. But the snout was still firmly clamped onto my left forearm. The blood spilling out of it was now pooling on the ground at my knees. There was a lot of blood. Too much blood. Just looking at it made me feel light headed. I knew it wasn't good to stare at it, but I couldn't tear my eyes from it. I could feel myself tearing up at the sight. Why was I such a baby? Men aren't supposed to cry. I had to fight it.

"Cloud!" I heard the man shout. How did he know my name? He ran over to me jumping over many stinking bodies. I was glad that it distracted me from my wound, but there was no way the pain was going to go away. "Let me help with that." He said placing one hand on either jaw. I could see from his face that he was trying to pull it apart. Really trying. Wasn't he a SOLDIER? Shouldn't he be able to rip this thing's head apart?

"Allow me." Came another voice. I looked up briefly at the man I assumed was the one who had saved us. But I gasped and looked away. He scared me. He looked like a ghost. I closed my eyes at another twinge of pain. I kept them closed tight and looked away. Soon I felt the jaws lifting off my throbbing arm. It felt good, but when the open air hit it, the wound started to burn. I wanted to cry out again, but I wasn't going to allow myself another outburst. Not in front of these two.

One of them had a certain blank look on his face that reminded me of something. _Did_ I know him?

Yes!

I couldn't believe it took me so long to remember him. He was the SOLDIER who'd just made it to first. Zack Fair, I think. That's what it said in the personnel announcement anyway. I'd seen him in the hallway before. I guess something threw me off. Maybe it was the one strand of hair hanging in his face. Last time I saw him he had bangs. I wish he'd kept that look. I liked him so much better with bangs. He looked better.

"Get his arm out." Said the older man. That sentence tore me back to reality and out of my thoughts of that carefree SOLDIER I'd always had liked to meet. He'd seemed to brighten up the room and the people around him. I **really** needed that kind of treatment.

Zack lifted my arm up and out of the creature's mouth. I could tell he was trying to be gentle, but it hurt like hell when he did it.

"It'll have to be cleaned." Said the other again. He tore off a piece of his red cape and wrapped it around my forearm. It felt a little tight, but blood was still flowing through it. Though I was concerned about the blood flow, I trusted he knew what he was doing. The added pressure was helping with the pain.

"Thanks Vincent." Zack answered.

Vincent? Why did that name ring a bell? I'd never met this man before in my life I'm sure of it. But he seemed so familiar somehow.

I almost sighed when I felt Zack lifting me up again to rest near his chest. I just settled in. If he wanted to do that, then I guess I could let him. **Just **as long as it stayed at that. I wasn't going to permit anything further. And the fact that I felt safe and warm in his arms had nothing to do with it. I would just tolerate his affections until he grew tired of it. The only discomfort was the small twinge of pain when he moved me, but that was it.

They continued to talk, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was fading in and out. They were saying something about a… _coffin_?! Were they going to bury someone? Certainly not me. I felt fine. My heart was still going nearly eighty miles per hour and I wasn't getting enough air. But I'd live. But at the mention of a coffin, I couldn't help but listen for a moment. Just to make sure my name wasn't brought up. Thankfully it wasn't. Knowing that, I could relax back into the embrace and get caught in my own thoughts.

Really, all I ended up doing was staring at the two black haired men. I remembered Zack. Why couldn't I remember this other man? This Vincent. He looked familiar. Very familiar. What was it? Oh! This was gonna bug the hell out of me. Since the man in red was so confusing, I focused on Zack. What was he so smiley about? He loosened his grip on me a little. I looked down at his hands, finding myself looking at them almost ordering them to hold me tighter again. I let out a small gasp when I realized what I was doing. Luckily, I think it was concealed within my unsteady breathing.

"Cloud?" I looked up so fast I almost hit Zack in the chin. He'd said my name, I was sure of it. But he wasn't looking at me. Were they _talking about_ me? That was rude. What were they talking about? I had to listen now. If my name was mentioned, I had a right to know how it was used, didn't I?

"How could he be…?" Tall, dark and scary asked.

"This _is_ Cloud." Zack answered before he could finish. His tone sounded as if he were trying to tip Vincent off about something. "I'm Zack, and you are…?" He continued. He made it sound like it was a simple introduction… but he already knew who this man was. He thanked him. He said 'thanks _**Vincent'**_, right? He even tensed up as he talked. Oh! I was so confused. Why was he doing this? I thought we all knew each other. Maybe… maybe he simply had to make it more proper. Gyah! My head hurt so badly.

"Vincent Valentine." Came the expected answer. Of course, he already knew that. He used his first name. That had to mean that they knew each other in a familiar way. Friends maybe. Could he have asked for my sake? No. He made it sound as if he didn't know. "Is there something I should know?" Mr. Valentine asked.

Zack was silent for a moment. He glanced down at me for a second. Did he suspect me of something? I didn't know anything about anything at the moment.

"Shhh. I'll tell you later." I heard him whisper. He then put his hand on the back of my head. I could feel his fingers fumbling with my hair. That was taking a small step too far. It just gave me a really uncomfortable feeling when he did it. As if that weren't bad enough, he maneuvered himself around and moved me around so I was sitting in his lap as he was cradling me in his arms. Okay, that was creepy. I was starting to be wary of him. My eyes almost narrowed to a glare. But I didn't dare strike him. All of those thoughts of being able to ward him off if he tried anything disappeared. He _was_ a SOLDIER after all. What could I do? Nope. I'd better just lay back and let him do what he wanted… for now anyway. My only hope was that if he _did_ try something, Mr. Valentine would save me. I just minded my own business and looked down again. My arm had gone numb.

But something in the back of my mind told me that Zack wasn't that kinda guy. I looked up at him again. He looked bemused. He was deep in thought about something. I wondered what until I started feeling drowsy.

Oh no! It was the familiar position he'd put me in. Whenever I was cradled like this, I fell asleep. I had to move. I didn't want to fall asleep. Not when I was surrounded by strangers. It was okay, as long as he didn't do that _other_ thing, I'd have a fighting chance to stay awake. This was good, this was okay. I'd be okay. Yeah. It was normal to feel drowsy when you've been short of breath for a few minutes. Right? Yeah. I was safe. Totally fine. He's just scaring me. That's all. Who wouldn't be intimidated by a SOLDIER? It was completely normal. I could handle this, couldn't I?

As soon as I thought I could handle this, I felt myself moving back and forth. Damn! He figured out that _other_ thing! He was rocking me while cradling me. Oh god! I felt my eyes go wide. I was going to fall asleep! It was eminent! No! No! No! NO!!! I didn't want to fall asleep like this in front of these guys. It was childish and stupid! I hated myself so much. I had so many weak points and they were apparently easy to figure out. I wanted to get away. But he wouldn't allow that. I knew it. Was this a test? Were they ridiculing me over this?! I felt so embarrassed, but I didn't have much time to wallow in my misery before my eyelids started getting heavy. I did the best I could to fight it, but I couldn't battle it for long. I was out of it before I even got a chance to try and get away.

--

"ZACK!!!"

I was forced out of my sleep by an unpleasant shriek. But I think I was in between. I couldn't or maybe I just wouldn't open my eyes. I was aware of my surroundings nonetheless. I was kinda scared. I wasn't in Zack's arms anymore. I was alone with my back and right side against cold leather and nothing to keep me warm but a thin fleece blanket. It was doing its job on one side of my body, but it wasn't as pleasant and warm as Zack's arms. No! I can't think like that! I had to focus on something else…

…Where am I?

"Tifa, where's Cloud?"

Tifa?! Wait… who's asking? Could it be the Tifa I knew? It couldn't possibly be. There's no way we made it all the way back to Nibelheim. I wasn't out long enough for them to travel _that_ far on foot. The idea of it was ridiculous.

My thoughts were interrupted by something heavy crashing down on top of my injured arm. I cried out in a combination of surprise and pain. The weight was removed immediately, but it still hurt. I sat up quickly to try and find who the culprit was. I saw a young woman with black hair and brown eyes, a little boy with brown hair and blue eyes, and a little girl looking extremely surprised. It must've been the little girl who had done it. She looked guilty. Zack and Mr. Valentine were sitting on the couch opposite me.

I cringed a little when Zack got up and started walking towards me. Though I hated to admit it, he scared me. He seemed very irrational. The way he'd act on impulses. But mostly it was the way he confused me. I didn't know what to feel when I was with him. He was inches away from me, I waited for him to reach out and grab me like he did before. But he walked right past me and out the door. I sighed in relief when the door shut. Maybe I could clear my head now. But when one distraction leaves you can always count on another to arise. I winced once the pain from my arm shot through me. I guess the numbness wore off when my wound was agitated by a _certain someone_ sitting on it.

"Cloud?" A female asked. It sounded more like the Young woman had spoken rather than the little girl, so I turned to her. She looked shocked and I was as shocked as she was.

"T… Tifa?!" I stammered. How could it be? She lived in Nibelheim, we couldn't be there. This couldn't be Tifa. This was a young woman and the Tifa I knew was a year younger than me. This woman had to be at least twenty five by my estimate. She certainly had those soft and caring eyes Tifa did. "Ah!" My arm felt like it was on fire. Desperately I grabbed at it to apply pressure at least.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" The presumed Tifa asked sounding concerned.

"He has an injury on his left forearm." Vincent answered. "A Crimson Hound bit him."

"A monster bit him?! Why didn't you two say anything?! Monster bites are dangerous. Do you know how much bacteria is in a monster's mouth? We need to clean that now. Come on Cloud!" She said.

I took a breath to respond, but she grabbed me by the wrist and I was pulled off the couch. All I could do was stumble after as I was frantically dragged into the other room and up the stairs. I found it a little difficult to make it up the stairs, but I made it without tripping. Miraculously, I made it up all of the stairs without being the normal, awkward, clumsy weakling I was. I was stunned. I thought I was in the clear, but right in front of the bathroom upstairs, I tripped on my own feet.

"Over here sweetie." She said dragging me inside the bathroom.

'Sweetie'? Did she just call me sweetie? There was a list of things that I didn't like to be called and that was near the top.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot I'm not talking to Marlene or Denzel." She said rummaging through the medicine cabinet. "Vincent!" She called. "Could you help me?"

Help her with what? I had to wonder as Vincent came up the stairs with the two children trailing behind him. They were unnaturally quiet children. Usually "quiet child" is an oxymoron. Vincent didn't say anything. He just waited to be told what to do. I guess Tifa was a matriarchal type.

"Hold onto his arm please. This will hurt." She said almost regretfully.

I was okay, but the panic began to settle in when Mr. Valentine took a firm hold of my arm and held it against the countertop. Tifa gently pulled at the knot on the red cloth covering the bite. She gave a loud gasp when she saw the damage that had been hidden from her.

"Denzel, Marlene, go downstairs." She ordered.

"But…" Denzel started but seemed lost of all words. "Never mind. Let's go, Marlene." He sighed and they both trumped downstairs.

Tifa nodded and then took another look at the gruesome wound. It had swollen up and had dry blood caked on all around it. Fresh blood was streaming out little by little but not in dangerous amounts like it had been. There was even some dust scattered here and there.

"How long has it been like this?" She asked trying to be calm.

"I'm not sure." Mr. Valentine answered still holding my arm down. "Maybe two hours."

"Two hours?!" She almost screamed. "Well, let's just hope we've gotten to it before an infection has set in." She said covering her own hands with some rubber gloves she'd had somewhere.

"Um…" I was really starting to panic now. I instinctively squirmed a little. The open air on my arm was only making the burning worse. She turned the faucet on to warm and put a dry washcloth under it until it was soaked. She put soap on it as well. My eyes widened again. That was going to hurt! I squirmed even more being the coward I was.

"Cloud calm down. It'll only hurt for a second." Tifa said reassuringly. It didn't help me relax though. It was too bad Mr. Valentine had such a firm grip on my arm or I could've been outta there. Then again, maybe it was a good thing. I could feel a nervous smile spreading across my lips.

"Ah!" I yelped when the soapy cloth made contact with the wound. She wasn't even afraid to clean inside the wound. It hurt like hell. I wanted to pull away from Mr. Valentine and run, but now that the soapy water had already saturated the bite more pain would just come when I had to wash it out. I'd have to stick it out now. I was already in too deep. But now that I think about it, if I did run away and just hope the wound stops throbbing… eventually it'd become infected and probably have to be amputated. Nope! I'd rather keep my arm. So yeah, I'll just shut my eyes and look away like usual.

And that's what I did. And! After a few minutes of pain and me almost crying. Tifa had cleaned out the wound completely and rewrapped it in a clean bandage. I had to admit, I felt better. But it still hurt when I poked it. I made to leave, but was stopped again.

"Cloud, wait." Tifa said grabbing my wrist yet again.

"Hm?" I answered. That was the only response I could utter. I hadn't worked up the courage to actually talk to her yet.

"You still have some scratches that look kind of red. Come back here." She said pulling me back.

Oh no. They were only scratches. Well… maybe it won't be as bad.

And I guess it _wasn't_ as bad. She just dotted them with a cotton ball covered in rubbing alcohol. I guess since the wounds weren't open, it didn't sting as much.

"Okay." She said a bit more cheery. "All done."

I was still a little put off by this. I mean, I wasn't eight. I guess this woman simply didn't know how to talk to teenagers. But… In all fairness… She _did_ live with children after all. I could forgive her as long as she learned. But it was partially my fault. I was the one acting like a shy five year old. I wouldn't even talk to her, so how was she supposed to know it was bugging me?

She wouldn't.

I suppose I could go and try to talk to Mr. Valentine since Zack left. I missed him a lot. He gave me confidence somehow. I wonder where he went. I'd hoped he was okay. I got the sense that something bad had happened. Hopefully not to him. He's the first one from Shinra that was actually friendly to me. Despite my stoic manner. He still befriended me; at least I think he did. I hardly knew him.

Mr. Valentine was back in the lounge? And sitting on the couch. He had the same morose look as last time as far as I could tell. I guess he didn't show much emotion. The whole time he was talking to Zack, he had the same almost downcast look on his face. I wonder if I could get him to smile somehow. Was there something in particular he was upset about?

I had to stop thinking when I saw Mr. Valentine was looking right at me. Only then did I realize that I had been staring at him the entire time. Gaia! I'm awkward! First I act like a baby in front of that other Tifa and now this?!

"Cloud?"

"Huh?!" He spoke? To me?! I didn't think he liked me.

"Do you have something you want to say?"

"………" I didn't know _what_ to say. Small talk wasn't my specialty.

"Do you need something?"

"Um…" I didn't think I needed anything. Admittedly I was kinda thirsty, but I didn't want to ask for anything. I didn't want to sound rude. I was taught not to ask for things anyway.

"Do you want to sit down?"

Does he sound almost… caring? He sounded like he was very familiar with me, but I'd never seen Mr. Valentine before. Had I? I couldn't have. He didn't sound **too** familiar.

"Cloud, are you confused?"

"… Yeah." A little. I was actually kinda scared. I had no idea who these people were or where I was. This wasn't Midgar. It was too bright for it. That much I could tell.

"I don't know what to tell you."

"Where are we?" I asked even though he probably would tell me.

"That is… nothing to be concerned about."

Thought so. "Why can't you tell me?"

"It's complicated."

Complicated? How could it be complicated? "Is this a place out of Shinra territory or something?"

"No."

"No? It looks like it." I wasn't buying it. Looking out the window, I couldn't see anything familiar to me. It didn't look like sector eight, five, nothing. "I've never seen this place before. And it's not on any map I've studied. It has to be unfamiliar territory."

"Trust me, it's not."

Trust him? Well… Zack didn't seem to mind him. Oh! I wish he'd come back. He'd explain everything. Mr. Valentine wasn't telling me anything. And if I didn't get back soon, I'd be presumed dead. Then where would I go? Did they know this? Is this what they wanted? No. I'm only a cadet. I'm not important. Not in the least. Was it Zack they were trying to deceive? He's smarter than that. Maybe it's nothing and I'm just paranoid. But all of the pranks the others back at the barracks had played on me; I wasn't one to trust strangers right away. At least that's what I told myself. But I've broken that rule many times and learned many painful lessons.

Nothing else was said before we both tuned into rushed footsteps outside. The door swung open and Zack ran inside almost completely out of breath.

"Zack?!" I yelped.

"Cloud, we've gotta go!"

--

**(A/N)** Remember to review so I know if people are reading it.


	3. Zack 2

**(A/N)** Zack came out very distracted... but I'm happy with the chapter.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix. If I owned it, I'd be influenced by my friends and Sephiroth would end up touching Cloud inappropriately all the time.

--

I don't know how fast I ran, but it seemed like I made it back to the bar within seconds. I was very upset when I found that I was still out of breath. There was less fatigue, but out of breath because of _that_ run? That run was nothing. Agh! Whatever! That wasn't important right now. I swung the door open without even noticing the loud crack it made or the screech of its hinges. I ran inside and around the corner into the lounge.

"Zack?!" Cloud yelped. He was an instant distraction. He was so cute! Why must I have such a crippling weakness for him?! His eyes were so captivating in how they showed so much emotion. His entire body gave a jolt when I entered the room. But I couldn't let him distract me like this. Not when he was the person I was trying to protect. No. I had to focus on what might happen if I stay distracted by him to long. It wasn't pretty. I'd have to focus my energy into protecting him. Whenever I find myself distracted by him, I'll simply channel it into my will to keep him safe.

"Cloud, we've gotta go!"

"Is there really a rush?" Vincent asked. I myself jumped when he spoke. Must've forgotten he was there. I felt bad actually. He was so easy to forget. Well… when Cloud was standing in front of him he was.

"Yes! **He's **on his way here! I'm sure of it! I should've known better. The bar is too obvious."

"What's going on?" Tifa asked coming downstairs. That made me wonder where Denzel and Marlene had gone off to. Was it really smart to let them wander around knowing full well that a mad man was on the loose?

"He says… they have to go or _he'll_ find them." Vincent answered before I could.

"What?! You found him?!" She practically hissed. "Think about this for a moment. If you leave right away…"

"If you leave during the day, he'll be able to track you down easier." Vincent finished.

"Does that really matter?! Do you know who we're talking about?! Day or night, it doesn't matter, he'll find us! Actually, to be more accurate, he'll find him." I said without thinking. I almost smacked myself for saying it. I had one hope, maybe he didn't get it. We could've been talking about anyone. That is until Tifa had her moment of borderline idiocy.

"So you confirmed it? He's after _Cloud_?" She asked with words heavy but angry.

"Tifa!" Vincent said almost scolding.

The tone almost made her cringe, but I could tell she felt just as much dismay as I did when we looked at said blonde. But I don't think he could see us looking. He'd fallen to his knees, probably blindsided from what he just heard. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to make enemies for himself. I just knew that was what he was thinking. He'd always been cautious and timid. He'd stay distant all the time. Just to stay unnoticed. Which had worked except on those who had taken a fancy to him. Myself included. I hate to say even Sephiroth took a liking to him later on. But he certainly never made enemies.

"Cloud, are you okay?" Tifa asked attempting to be comforting.

He just murmured. I hope he wasn't going to cry. There was no need for it. He probably wanted to. I could see his face was a little red, he was probably holding it back as hard as he could. It was obvious he was scared, he was shaking slightly. But hopefully he wasn't terrified. I wanted to hold him but I couldn't make him uncomfortable. I don't think he liked it very much last time. I had to just play my cards right and hope he'll come to me. My patience is what led me to success the last time and what led Sephiroth to failure for lack of. But I think this time I'd better let someone else handle i—

… I expected _Tifa_ to handle it but _**Vincent**_, for one reason or another, beat her to it!

"What?!" I openly expressed my shock. He didn't seem ashamed at all, it didn't look as though he was aware that no one expected **him** to do that. I mean, _Vincent_?! He didn't seem like much of a huggy person. But there he was, arms wrapped around Cloud and rubbing his shoulder to try and relax him. Cloud however looked just as surprised as the rest of us. His trembling didn't stop, not right away. I was bewildered. The image seemed… wrong, but right. Vincent was kind of a father figure, but he looked like he'd be tactically defensive.

"Mr. Valentine…?" Cloud mumbled. _**Mr. Valentine**_? He was so cute I could hardly stand it!

"Zack, I think you should give him some time to calm down." Vincent said after a few minutes.

"Do you really think that's such a good idea? If he finds us… um… ba da la la…" That was admittedly an odd way to cut off my own sentence but I had to do something. If I said anything about Sephiroth finding us, and the potential risks attached to that, would that help calm down Cloud at all? I didn't think so. Of course I guess sometimes it is better knowing, but the truth was, I didn't know. But would I tell him even if I did know…? No! Stop it! Why do I trail off into stupid thoughts all the time?!

"Zack." Tifa broke in. "You should think this through a bit more."

"Uh… I guess it wouldn't hurt to rest a while longer. I haven't regained my full strength yet."

"You should leave tomorrow night." Tifa said enthusiastically.

"No. Not that late." Vincent sighed. "But it should be safe by tomorrow."

"I dunno you guys." We were talking about Sephiroth after all. No. We were doubting Sephiroth's tracking ability. We should be able to come up with something better than this. Was it, the best place to hide is the last place they'll ever expect? Or… was it, the closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm? Hmm… considering Sephiroth's tracking abilities; I'd guess it's better to stay away from him. This choice was so difficult, Sephiroth was no fool and that was what one would count on in situations like this. How could I keep Cloud safe from him like this?

"Have you considered where you're going to go?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah." That wasn't the important thing at the moment. What was important was where to go now. We couldn't stay at the bar; of course, I thought he'd be here by now. We couldn't go to the church, he's probably checking there now. I was starting to think we were better off in the wasteland with the Guard Hounds.

"Tifa?" It was one of the children again. Marlene this time. "Denzel can't find his toy rocket. Can we go look for it?"

"In the streets?" Tifa didn't seem quite sure, why would she be? Edge could be dangerous. "It's getting late. Can you look for it tomorrow?"

"It's going to rain tonight. He doesn't want it to get ruined." She answered.

"…Take Cloud with you." Tifa said after a moment. Both me and Vincent gave her the same look. Cloud stayed silent. Hopefully he didn't fall asleep. I glanced over just to make sure… nope. His beautiful eyes were open, a little wide, but he wasn't asleep. I thought briefly about her suggestion and it wasn't a bad idea. We had to talk about this and we weren't making much progress with him around. It was a little unfair, but I think him leaving would be for the best.

"Vincent, does Cloud have a phone?" I asked. The blonde still didn't move. He acted as though he were rooted to the spot. Most likely, he was still all shook up over the news he'd learned. It really was best that he left, that proved it. Vincent's impatience made Cloud gasp when he reached into his pocket looking for a phone.

"He's got one." The gunman answered taking it out to make sure it was working. He flipped it open, seemed to dial a few numbers, shut it, and then slid it back into the boy's pocket.

"Okay." I nodded. "Go on Cloud. Look after the kids for us."

"But if there's trouble, you call us. Okay, sweetie?" Tifa added quite bluntly. He shuffled past us keeping his eyes to the floor. Poor little guy, he looked down about something. I really wanted to grab him as he walked by, but I'd just have to wait. There were more pressing matters.

"Don't go too far!" I called after them. If he was too far away, my speed as it was wouldn't do us much good. I let my eyes linger for a while until the back of the blonde's head disappeared behind a closing door. As soon as he was gone, I desperately wanted him back. I almost reached out for him but just barely held myself back from my impulse. I had to control myself and focus on the problems at hand. I couldn't shale this feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. I think I just made the biggest mistake of my afterlife… no life. It doesn't matter either way. Point is, I'm stupid. I just let Cloud leave when he has a madman after him. I was making this easy. I was practically serving the kid up on a silver platter, without even meaning to!

"You should just stay here for one night. You'll need food and a place to sleep." Tifa said almost insistently. That option still seemed out of the question to me. Uh… better idea, let's go find Cloud.

"Tifa." Vincent interrupted. "Don't let your emotions cloud your better judgment. Sephiroth will surely look for them here. It's only a matter of time."

"But where else can they go?" She asked. I just tried to relax for the time being, for as long as I could. I'd throw in my input every now and then, but they knew more of the land nowadays than I did. Places had been destroyed and there were new places built. Tifa really wanted us to stay at the bar for some odd reason. She was being very stubborn about it. I was just thankful that Vincent knew that was impossible.

--

"We can't have them stay here. We're wasting time." Vincent sighed.

"But if they're here, we can help." Tifa argued.

"But it's better for them to get a clean getaway. Think clearly, if they stay here, the kids will be in danger. Do you want that man anywhere near Denzel or Marlene?" Vincent asked.

"Why are we encouraging them to hide anyway? We can fight him, we've done it before." She shot back. Tifa almost looked… pissed. She was on the verge of glaring at Vincent. Was she really that protective of Cloud? Didn't they trust me to take care of him? I wasn't the complete idiot I pretended to be. Well… not all the time. Right now I wasn't acting smart at all. But nonetheless, whenever Cloud was around, I was a demented moron. Usually a centered and promising guy, I turned into the dipstick high school boy when near his crush.

"Tifa." Vincent answered in an eerily calm voice. "That's enough. I don't want to risk anything. We won't be as prepared as we were. And I don't want to risk Cloud to anything that madman has in store for him. Is that clear?"

"I just don't want Cloud to feel like we're sending him away." Tifa sighed.

"Whoa!" I said. "That's not what he's gonna think. We need to do what's best for him. I'm still not sure what Sephiroth's up to, but he wants revenge."

"Zack, you never told us where you were going to take him." She kind of asked.

"We're going to Wutai." I answered.

"Why Wutai?" Vincent asked.

"Because… I figured Yuffie could help us hide and Sephiroth doesn't know the area all that well." I sighed. Of course now I realized, no matter where we go, he could probably track us down.

"You may be on to something." Vincent said obviously thinking.

I was? I thought something through? Correctly? My previous decision seemed to show the opposite. I really wanted to go out and fix my second big blunder, but the higher power didn't want to just let that happen, did she?

"Going to Wutai would take Sephiroth out of his comfort zone. Not to mention he has many enemies there and no one would cooperate with him. But it may lead to fatalities." He said grimly near the end.

"I know. Now that I think about it, that's not something I want to risk." I answered, bemused as usual.

I was thinking a little too far into the future. Assuming there was a future for us. How could I ease my way into that special place in his heart? I think I should just stick with my patience, but how shall I plot my moves? I was hoping I could share a bed with him at least the second night we were together. But in more of a platonic way… at first. I had to be the friend before I was the lover. That's how things went last time. I couldn't screw this up. I had to be just as perceptive as I was all those years ago. I had to read how comfortable or uncomfortable he was getting with me. I'd just give him a little nudge and if he backed away, I'd back off. That was my area of expertise. I'd just have to keep reminding myself of this moment and the ones prior. If I stuck with it, I was confident that it'd be smooth sailing the whole way.

As usual my thoughts were broken by Vincent snapping his fingers in front of my face. I was getting tired of this. No I wasn't! This was important! If anything I was getting confused.

"Zack, you've been staring blankly for the past twenty minutes." Tifa sighed.

I had? It seemed more like three to me. Weird.

"I guess we're risking you staying here." Vincent said a little annoyed. I had to guess Tifa won the argument. That might not have happened if I was paying attention. Ooh, sorry Vincent. I thought about numerous options almost frantically. I had to think of something, anything! I couldn't let her do this. But I came up with nothing. I guess I'd have to rely on them changing their minds. Well, actually… Tifa changing her mind.

"You guys are sure about this?" I asked.

"We don't want Denzel and Marlene to think something's wrong." Tifa replied.

"Okay… but-" /Vrrrrrziiit!/

"What was that?" Tifa said a little surprised.

/Vrrrrrziiit!/ I even looked surprised at the second tone. Whatever it was, it was coming from my pocket.

/Vrrrrrziiit!/ I reached into the deep pocket of my army pants and pulled out a little vibrating cell phone. "I forgot my phone sounded so weird." I sighed. I felt so stupid, I got scared over my cell phone. I forgot I had it. I didn't have my phone up in the lifestream. I focused my eyes on the small blinking screen.

(\Cloudy/)

My eyes lit up at the name, but then I could only think of one thing. The fact that he was calling only meant that something was wrong. "Cloud." I said to the leaning figures on either side of me.

/Vrrrrrziiit!/ By the fourth tone, they both looked anxious.

"Well, answer it!" Tifa said grabbing at the phone in my hands.

I… didn't want to answer it. I knew Cloud was in trouble, but I didn't want it to be true. I wanted him to come back through the door, happy and smiling. This was going nowhere. I shut my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Nothing else mattered, not even what I wanted to happen mattered. The truth was that Cloud needed me. He was depending on someone to come and help. I had to come to his aid. I swore I would never abandon him. Even when I was stolen away from his side, I vowed I'd never leave him to perish. Even when Aerith had to leave him to his own devices, I stayed with him. I helped him through the toughest and most impossible of tasks. I gave him my strength when it was slipping from me. I had to go to him now. I had to drive these selfish thoughts from my mind. Oh please! Let _him_ be on the other line! I wanted to hear his lyrical voice, not Sephiroth's.

/Vrrrrrziiit!/

"Zack!" Both Tifa and Vincent yelled.

I snapped my eyes open and simultaneously flipped opened the phone. I slid my thumb over the numbers and hit the top right button, setting it to speaker phone.

/"Hello?!"/

I was so relieved I almost melted when the sound of Cloud's voice reached my ears.

"Cloud, we're all here. What's the problem?" Tifa answered.

/"There's a silver haired man here."/

"He didn't hurt you, did he?!" I asked hurriedly.

/"No. He tried to grab the children, but they got away… Now he's chasing us."/

"What does he look like?" Vincent asked.

What does he look like? He said he's got silver hair, didn't he? That means it's Sephiroth. Who else could it be? Then again, there were quite a few silver haired people around. I leaned in closer to hear better as well. I wanted to be sure. He would've recognized the general right away. The kid idolized the man.

/"He's… he's uh… tall, kinda burley… has silver swirly hair and… I dunno, I didn't see his eyes."/

"It can't be." I whispered.

"What?" Vincent asked.

/"Ah! He's fast!"/

"Cloud?!" I shouted into the phone. I only heard a few scuffling sounds and then it sounded as though the phone was dropped on the ground. "Cloud?!" I shouted again.

/" Hurry! We need help!"/

That voice wasn't Cloud's. It was still a boy. It had to be Denzel.

"Denzel?" Tifa asked. "Is Marlene there?"

/"Marlene!"/ Denzel shouted. There were more scuffling sounds and I swear I could here gasping in the background. By this time I was off the couch and heading toward the door. Vincent and Tifa were close behind me. We all looked a bit furious.

/"Tifa?"/ It was Marlene now.

"Marlene sweetie, who's there?" Tifa asked trying to be calm.

/"It's that bad man we saw in the church… the one with the zapper."/

"Loz?" I asked. The remnant on the slow side. Admittedly he was fast when it came to physical speed, but when it came to the mind he wasn't the brightest lamp on the shelf. So that's how it was going to be, Sephiroth? Cover more ground by splitting up? Or was he just sending out minions first?

/"Denzel! Denzel no! Stay back! Ah! Cloud no! Don't hurt him!"/

My heart sank when I heard the sound of electricity in the background. Where were they? We were outside, but there were still plenty of places for them to be. I couldn't hear anything. No commotion, no lights from that damned Dual Hound Loz had and was probably torturing Cloud with. I was enraged by the mere thought of it. I tried not to think about it, but the images wouldn't retreat. The image of that blasted remnant holding Cloud against the wall and blasting him again and again until he either passed out or cried. Twisted bastards. They were funny, but that's just because they were awkward around all of the rest of us. How did he get _them_ out of the lifestream as well?

"Where are you?" Vincent asked running up beside me.

/"We're heading toward the center of town."/ This voice was melodious. It was Cloud! I took a breath to answer back, but Vincent snatched the phone out of my hands before I could utter a word.

"What's your situation?" He asked. There was a long pause with hardly any sound but labored breathing. How long had they been running? Poor kids. This wasn't their problem.

/"We were looking down in one of the back allies and some guy showed up."/ He paused again. I hoped he wasn't hurt. /"He's really… almost inhumanly fast."/

"Are you hurt?!" I shouted over into the phone.

I felt a ball forming in my throat while I waited for the answer. If he was hurt, I didn't know what I'd do. I'd probably let this earthen body waste away from my failure end then refuse to pass on back into the lifestream. It seemed fair. He gets hurt because of my failure, thus breaking my vow which would be dishonorable. And the punishment for dishonor was steep! Maybe I was just overreacting. But it was Cloud after all. I swore to protect him. I had to stay true to my word and protect my honor. Screw SOLDIER! Nowadays exSOLDIERs had more honor than SOLDIERs in commission. I shook my head trying to snap myself out of it and pay attention. I came out of my thoughts to hear a little mumble come out of the phone. Oh no! I missed the answer! I'm so stupid.

"S-say that again." I said with an unsure tone.

/"I said no one's hurt."/ Came the answer followed by a crash. /"Geez!"/

I could tell I probably had some stupid smile spreading across my face. I hardly even heard the crash. I was only focusing on how Cloud was okay. He was okay! Where was he?! Where was he?! I mean, where were _they_? There was more than one life a stake here. I know Sephiroth was after Cloud, which means that he'd most likely be taken alive. But the "spares" would be eliminated.

"Where are you now?" Vincent asked. He looked more calm than the rest of us. But I could see just beneath the surface he was, if not on the brink of, panic.

/"I can see the monument in the central square. We've taken cover and trying to stay out of sight."/

The monument? That was coming into our sight as well. But if they were hiding, how were we supposed to find them before Loz did? What am I kidding?! Cloud is not helpless. He may be clumsy and quite skittish, but he was trained and had good instincts. The degree of his training depended on how far back I was remembering when I made my little mistake. But he's a country boy. He'll never be completely helpless… unless he was stuck in a situation he'd never been in before. But for now, I wouldn't have to worry. Loz wasn't the type.

Loz was… well he… he always…

There's no nice way to put it, without Yazoo he was a bumbling idiot. Plain and simple. He wasn't cunning. He wasn't an idea man. He was the muscle and that's really all they used him for. He's the friendliest remnant out of the three, but that's because he didn't know who he was talking to half the time. Kadaj was bipolar or something, I hated being around him. And secretly, Yazoo was the real evil mastermind. He was also the master of deception. Always laughing and playing the cocky one. But he was pretty damn scary when he was serious.

/"AGH!!"/

The sound that emitted from the phone made me look up so fast I swear I heard something snap. What just happened? Did Loz just bring harm to my poor little Cloudy? I had to scold myself again just to remain calm. For one, Cloud was going to be fine! He wouldn't go down with one hit, he was stronger than that. And second! I'm not Sephiroth! I have to stop calling Cloud mine, he always hated being labeled as property. I always had to wonder why, but it was an answer I never got. It was okay sometimes to show affection, but not literally or all the time. He'd hate me if I did it all the time. That was one big thing I always had to remember. He was so sensitive to being labeled.

"Cloud?" There was a shattering sound and then nothing.

"Huh?!" I said realizing I had been zoning again.

"Cloud? …Marlene? …Denzel?" Vincent asked. He was frantic by now. No one was answering. This wasn't real. They were fine. Cloud could handle himself. He could outwit Loz any day.

--

I was starting to get a little scared when the three of us reached the monument and there was still no answer. We couldn't see anything through the crowds. There weren't even that many people and we didn't see or hear anything going on. It was like they all just up and vanished.

" Oh come on!" I shouted. We'd stopped in the central square of Edge and everything seemed normal. I was so agitated. I should be able to track Cloud down too. Okay. I knew that they were in this area and now all I had to do was find where their exact location was.

"Zack what's the matter?" Tifa asked.

"Shhh. I'm trying to focus." I said calmly. Did I even have all my SOLDIER abilities back yet? I was kind of depending on the enhanced sense of smell.

I closed my eyes and focused my energies into finding the familiar smell that was Cloud. A mixture of hair gel, and for some reason mountain lilies. I sniffed the air like a dog until something caught my attention. Soil. This was a city. There hadn't been soil for years. At least not mountain soil. Cloud had an underlying scent that smelled fresh, just like the soil at the base of Mt. Nibel. It was faint, but it was good enough. Guess it was my luck that he actually let himself get dirty sometimes. It was really lucky. His childhood made me so sad. What made him so aloof and isolated again? Maybe it was the fact that they weren't very open minded people and Cloud, sadly being a bastard, was a good target for their scorn.

"I smell blood." Vincent almost gasped.

What? He what? I sniffed the air again, this time looking for a newer scent on the air. There was. It was that ghastly smell of iron that made me queasy whenever I got the slightest whiff of it. The scent was so strong that I started coughing. It had to be close and it had to be fresh. It also had to be Cloud. He wouldn't let those kids get hurt… and that scream was the last thing we heard over the phone. I could only imagine how bad it could be. My mind was made up, it doesn't matter how much sense it makes at the time. I am never allowing Cloud to separate from me again… that only stands _if_ he was still alive of course. Oh great! There I go, overreacting again.

"Where are they?!" Tifa asked leaning past me to look at Vincent. His face showed nothing but confusion. He couldn't tell where the source was. Neither could I. The smell was coming from all around. It was the strangest thing. As if that weren't strange enough, now there was some almost scorched smell. Almost like gun residue.

I then heard a "clack" in front of me. I turned from Tifa to look at what it was now. "This is just perfect." I sighed.

We were now faced with the second and considerably greater threat. Long silver hair, and bangs that flowed down to his azure eyes. Skin pale as a ghost and a long black trench coat going down to his ankles. He was the spitting image of Sephiroth himself and the one remnant I'd hoped we wouldn't be faced with. Yazoo.

"Where are they?" He asked in a mocking tone accompanied by that playful laugh of his.

"Having fun?" I said with irritation. I did not have time for his games right now.

"What do you think?" He sighed. Vincent and Tifa made to leave but he revealed two guns and aimed one at each of them. "Only Zack's allowed to look." He said a bit more seriously. Did he intend to fight Vincent and Tifa alone? I guess he could feel confident. He was willing to throw away his own life as long as he took his opposed with him. Not something to be proud of, but it wasn't a common strength either. To be able to just throw it all away. I don't think even I could do that. Not only that, but he had agility and great martial arts training. He also had just about, if not as much, expertise with a gun as Vincent. But could he take them both at once?

What did I care if he could? He was being evil at the moment. I had to look for the kids, Tifa and Vincent would be fine. I was relatively sure ,but more like hoping, Cloud would be alright. Hopefully he wasn't shot in the leg or something. Then it'd be difficult to get away. But by this time, I was stressing over whether Denzel and Marlene were still alive. Yazoo didn't have a soft spot for children. Loz liked kids, but Yazoo couldn't care less about their age, he'd shoot.

I dashed off in the direction where the blood smelled the closest. It sickened me, I probably wasn't going to feel well for a while. I'd have to give my poor abused nose a rest after this. I ran to the first location, an alley that led me to what looked like a market place. Who knew this was back here? There were a few people here buying things that looked good quality. But there was nothing here. I could still smell the scent of blood, but it was moving.

"Cloud?!" I shouted. The scent turned in my direction. But I still didn't see those blonde spikes. I didn't see anything. My eyes scanned the crowd, but there was no sign of him. The smell was so intensely close now, but I didn't see him.

"Zack?" I heard a small voice ask.

I looked towards it only to see a previously stunned Denzel.

"Denzel?" I said shocked.

His eyes were half closed like he'd just woken up and there was a crimson line of blood drawn across his forehead. It was still dripping too. It wasn't his blood.

"Denzel, what happened?" I asked while trying to lock onto the next portion of the trail.

"I don't know. I don't remember." He answered. He sounded like he was going to cry.

"Do you know where the others are?"

"No. I passed out here a while ago I think. I got hit over the head by something." He said while straining himself to remember anything he could.

"They just left you here?!"

"No. No, I actually remember being closer to the center of town when I passed out."

"Do you have anything in your pockets?" I asked.

He reached into a pocket, then another. But he pulled up nothing. This was very upsetting. But for now I had to make sure Denzel was safe. He should be okay now. It looks like Loz abandoned him and Yazoo didn't care.

"Denzel, do you know how to get home from here?"

"Yeah." He said shrugging. "Are you going to go find the others?"

"Yes. I have to."

"Please make sure Marlene and Cloud are safe!" He said throwing himself at me and crying into my shirt. "I tried to protect her! Me and Cloud both! I just couldn't! You have to save them!"

"Denzel, calm down. They'll both be fine. I won't let anyone hurt them." I said stroking his hair a few times. "I have to keep looking now, but clean that blood off yourself then wait a bit before you go home." I waited for him to nod before I went running off again. That was the only place where the smell was moving. Everywhere else I went expecting to find Cloud or Marlene, there was just another line of blood drawn across a post or some other surface. It all seemed hopeless. I almost felt like crying now. I was failing already! I failed to see Sephiroth was going to kill that boy and now this?! The poor kid was probably depending on me and I practically stood there and let it happen!

"I can't give up! I won't give up!" I told myself. There were things that had to be done and wallowing in self pity wasn't helping me do them.

--

I wandered for a few more minutes before something else got the attention of my olfactory senses. Exhaust.

That must've been Loz. What a huge mistake. I could follow the smell of exhaust easily. Not only that, but it left a solid trail. Exhaust left a stream of scent behind the source. I could track him now and that's exactly what I did. I followed it out of the center of town and down the highway. There was still a "Do Not Enter" sign across the entrance. Really… still? You'd figure they'd have fixed that bridge by now. Oh well… it didn't matter to me. I followed the scent to the edge of the bridge and saw the remains of the church coming into view.

"The church?" I whispered. How stupid could he be? The church was obviously a place anyone would look. "Hope Sephiroth's not there."

I jumped from the edge of the bridge and rolled down the incline. Once I reached the bottom I stormed off towards the doors.

--

**(A/N)** Remember to review. :D


	4. Cloud 2

**(A/N)** Here ya' go! Cloud's point of view on what Zack just experienced! It has indeed been revised, but there may still be missing words. I dunno, I'll give it a run through tomorrow. But anyway, enjoy it! Oh! And thanks to everyone who's stayed with it and especially those who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, if I did, the movie would've had 60 more Zack in it.

--

I wasn't sure if I could be more confused. Why did we have to leave so quickly? I hardly knew these people, but I felt safer here than I did outside. But Zack did look distressed about something. He looked really serious about it. It was as if it were a life or death situation. He certainly surprised me and I swear I saw Mr. Valentine jump. And what was Zack staring at? Me? Or Mr. Valentine? I just tilted my head and looked back at him.

"Is there really a rush?" Mr. Valentine asked.

Yes! **He's **on his way here! I'm sure of it! I should've known better. The bar is too obvious." Zack said frantically. He sure was worked up about something.

"What's going on?" Tifa asked as she came downstairs. I felt so at ease when she spoke, she had such a warming presence. I could feel a smile bubbling up from the butterflies in my stomach. She was almost motherly.

"He says… they have to go or _he'll_ find them." Mr. Valentine said casually.

"What?! You found him?!" She said in a harsher tone. "Think about this for a moment. If you leave right away…"

Who's this _he_ everyone's talking about? Were we hiding from someone? Scratch what I said before. I was getting more and more confused by the second.

"If you leave during the day, he'll be able to track you down easier." Mr. Valentine sighed.

"Does that really matter?! Do you know who we're talking about?! Day or night, it doesn't matter, he'll find us! Actually, to be more accurate, he'll find him." Zack blurted out. He raised a hand to his head and held there, it looked like he was gonna smack himself across the face.

"So you confirmed it? He's after _Cloud_?" Tifa asked. She sounded angry but saddened by something.

… Wait?! Did she just say someone, this _him_ everyone was talking about was after… me?

"Tifa!" I heard Mr. Valentine scold. But after that I couldn't be sure if anything else was said. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts.

This couldn't be true. What had I done? As far as I knew, I didn't do anything to make anybody angry. It felt like _**I**_ had been smacked across the face. The strength of the blow was so hard that I fell to my knees. This was impossible. I didn't have any enemies. I always thought years of hiding in the back would ensure that. Of course there were some creeps who tried some funny business every now and then, but I was always saved by something or someone. But I never made any enemies.

"Cloud, are you okay?" Tifa asked. But right now her voice wasn't very comforting, nothing was.

"Mm…" I mumbled. I couldn't form any solid words. I was just trying with all my might to hold back the tears that were trying to break their way through. But I refused to let them come. This wasn't something to cry about. I was trying so hard not to cry that my face probably got a little pink, just thinking of that made me embarrassed. I could now feel the burning feeling as my face went red. Now it really wasn't helping when I felt all of their eyes on me. I felt myself begin to tremble uncontrollably.

Why was Zack just standing there? He looked torn, but he wasn't doing anything. No matter how much I wanted to make me feel secure, he just stood there.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt chilled metal on my arm. I looked up to see if Zack had moved, but he was still in front of me looking shocked and confused. But there were still a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. My eyes felt sore from holding back tears and not blinking for so long. Who was holding me?

"What?!" I heard Zack shout. He was obviously shocked. That must mean something he believed to be impossible just happened. So that could only mean that Mr. Valentine was holding me. I could only guess that because Mr. Valentine did not seem like the type to hug or hold a person. He was nurturing, but not sentimental. I probably would have found it a sweet gesture, but the golden claws resting on my chest were making me nervous. I couldn't even stop myself from shaking when he started rubbing my shoulder.

"Mr. Valentine…?" I mumbled in that stupid meek voice of mine. That did nothing but make Zack stare at me again. I didn't feel comfortable when he did that. It made me feel so self conscious. I could tell I was shrinking back into the embrace. There was something about Zack that irritated me. Mostly it was my own reaction to him. I couldn't stop it. I wanted him to act a bit more than a friend, but I also wanted him to stay away from me. It was all so confusing. I hardly knew him, but I felt as though he belonged at my side. It was the weirdest emotion I'd ever experienced. I wasn't sure if I liked this emotion or not. So I've come to the conclusion that he scares me.

"Zack…" I looked up at Mr. Valentine as he spoke. He closed his eyes momentarily when my hair brushed up against his chin. "I think you should give him some time to calm down."

"Do you really think that's such a good idea? If he finds us… um… ba da la la…"

I raised a brow in confusion. He cut off his sentence, but I wanted to know what would happen… or maybe I didn't. Either way it made me smile. Um ba da la la?! That was funny…

"Zack." Tifa said suddenly. "You should think this through a bit more."

And just like that, the fear was back. Think about what? When and how fast to run like hell?! I couldn't handle knowing that someone was out to get me. I just couldn't do it. I wanted to run away. If it weren't for Mr. Valentine holding onto me and if I weren't petrified of his claws, I probably would have.

"Uh… I guess it wouldn't hurt to rest a while longer. I haven't regained my full strength yet."

What?!

"You should leave tomorrow night." Tifa said enthusiastically.

"No. Not that late." Mr. Valentine sighed. "But it should be safe by tomorrow."

"I dunno you guys." Zack said scratching the back of his head.

Wait! What was everyone talking about?! I couldn't follow. Damn it! If only I weren't thinking about how much of a coward I was. I probably would've heard what everyone was talking about!

"Have you considered where you're going to go?" Mr. Valentine asked. I had to guess it was directed toward Zack because no one was talking to me. If I didn't notice Zack glancing at me every two seconds, I would assume they forgot about me. Glancing and… staring.

Zack responded with a bemused sounding "Yeah."

"Tifa?" I looked up to see the little girl standing next to Tifa. "Denzel can't find his toy rocket. Can we go look for it?"

This conversation didn't concern me. I just really wanted to know why Zack wasn't taking me back to the barracks. If he didn't get me back soon, explaining everything wouldn't matter! He'd have to come up with some story to tell them. Oh! I hope he's not going to just turn me over to the general! He wouldn't do that, would he? I bit my lip nervously just thinking about it.

He wouldn't do that. He was my friend, and if he wasn't then he sure was acting like one. And friends don't sell each other out. Plus he was going out of his way to protect me from this _**he**_ everyone was talking about. That was friendly. Oh great! Do I _want_ him as a friend or do I want him to stay away from me?! Was I afraid of him after all? You know what, no. I'm sticking with my earlier conclusion. I'm afraid.

"… Take Cloud with you."

What?! I looked up again to stare at Tifa. What was I being volunteered for exactly? Mr. Valentine tensed up as she spoke too. He and Zack were staring at her now. I felt like I was being betrayed when Zack took on an expression of thought. Was he insane?! Someone was after me! Sending me away like this was like giving me up! Please say no! Please tell her that's a bad idea! Please!

"Vincent, does Cloud have a phone?" He asked.

What's wrong with you?! I wouldn't take my eyes off him. I was hoping he'd get the message and change his mind. I could just go out!

"Ah!" I couldn't control myself and let a gasp escape when Mr. Valentine jammed his hand into my pocket. I wasn't expecting him to violate my personal space like this.

"He's got one." Mr. Valentine said pulling my phone out of my pocket. He sounded like he was dialing a few numbers and then he put the phone back into my pocket.

"Okay." Zack nodded. "Go on Cloud. Look after the kids for us."

"But if there's trouble, you call us. Okay, sweetie?" Tifa added quite bluntly. I shuffled past them keeping my eyes to the floor. I couldn't believe it. No one thought of how potentially dangerous and stupid it was to be sending me out like this. It was ridiculous.

"Don't go too far!" Zack called as I walked out the door with the kids.

--

Once outside, the kids took off down an alley. I couldn't get over how irresponsible they all were being. Here I was, outside and unprotected. I was being so cautious every time we rounded a corner; the kids kept looking back at me funny. I had to admit, I was acting a bit paranoid. But I felt as though I could be paranoid. Someone was probably out to kill me!

"Cloud? Are you okay?" I heard one of them ask. I looked over at them in a slight daze. They both looked concerned. So I'd have to bury my concerns, I didn't want to worry them.

I half smiled and looked away trying to hide my depression. If this man did show up, I'll simply grow a backbone and demand that he spare the kids. Yeah. That's exactly how it'll go! … Who am I kidding?

We went down more allies and I couldn't help but notice that we were getting a little too far away from… the bar…? Was it a bar? It had to be. It looked like one. Well, if it wasn't I was calling it one anyway.

"I think I left it here." The boy said coming to a stop.

I looked around at where we were. This is where they play? It was a dark back alley. Perfect place to get kidnapped I'll give them that. Especially in this city. The people here looked more desperate than the people of the slums. I take that back, that really wasn't fair. I shouldn't judge them like that considering where I come from.

There were rumors of dark things going on in Nibelheim. Very dark things. Incest mostly. But I did hear something about a man involved in the sex trade or something living there when I was around eight. I was always told to avoid him. It scared me whenever he came by and talked with my mother. She'd always kick him out screaming at him about something. She'd even threaten him the few times he showed up with money. Then one day he forced himself into the house and came at _me_ for some reason. My mother hit him over the head with a frying pan, threw him out, and I never saw him again. It was probably a good thing. She always held onto me so tightly after that and apologized for no real reason. She'd always say something about considering an offer because she needed the money. I never really gave it much thought. I was never even sure if the rumors were true, but the evidence…

"Have you found anything?" The little girl asked. I shook my head without turning around to face them. I hadn't even been looking.

"I haven't." I said morosely. I hadn't found the answers to a lot of my questions either. But I'd have to focus on that later. "Did you build it?"

"Yeah, but what does that matter?" Denzel asked looking up from a trash bin.

"Well… if you built it, it'll probably have a distinct smell… it's kinda like rotten eggs." I said letting my voice relax with my body. "Unless you didn't build it like that. But if you're a pyro, like most your age, you probably did build it like that."

Both of them averted their eyes from me. I couldn't do anything but wear an expression of confusion. They looked remorseful about something. I suspected that only meant one thing, they were doing something they weren't supposed to. That was the only answer I could come up with. But it probably wasn't anything too bad. They weren't the type; well at least they didn't give that impression.

"Cloud…" Denzel said sullenly. "Don't tell Tifa. She doesn't know we were playing with chemicals like that."

"Didn't she teach you that?" I asked tilting my head.

"No…" He said hesitantly. "… You did."

"What?!" How could I…? When did I…? … H-how?! I couldn't have! I'd never met these kids in my life.

"Cloud…" The little girl whispered.

I barely heard her. I was staring at Denzel willing the answers to spill out of him. He knew more than I did. He knew something. I wanted him to tell me. I wanted to know. Neither of us broke the stare. His eyes never left mine. It was as if he could see I was processing something.

"Cloud!"

That time I heard the shrill scream. I noticed too late the shadow now looming over me from behind. Wheeling around on my heels I nearly busted my nose on the hulking figure behind me. I stayed there stunned for a short moment. When I came out of it, I kept my vision locked on the man's shoes and fidgeted with my fingers. He was tall. I could tell that from the size of his feet. And by the look of his calf muscles, he was strong.

"Cloud, run!" Both of the kids yelled.

I didn't move. I couldn't move. I was frozen. This is exactly why I joined the army. I had no backbone when it came to guys like this. But even now, I hadn't had enough training to actually go out in the field. I'd never been out in the field before. I was supposed to be getting practice assignment today. But that was just guarding against brainless monsters! And even then I was gonna be monitored by a security guard. But this guy…?! He knew how to intimidate and he did it well. He made a show of his build by wearing tight fitting leather. I felt as though one hit from this guy would give me a few broken bones.

I was just in utter shock of his being. That is, until I felt his gloved hand lifting my chin up. I felt like I was in danger once I felt his touch. This feeling only intensified when I saw his face. His lips twisting into a smirk, his eyes were the worst part. They were like a serpent's with a black slit cutting through the pale blue-yellow iris.

I felt myself blink a few times before I pulled away from him and backed away to join the kids. It was like I could see his intentions and his motives just by looking in his eyes. Just below the surface was malice and not much else.

There wasn't much time for me to think of anything else to do. I took the cell phone from my pocket and ran madly through the numbers. Selecting the first one without a name over it, I put the phone to my ear and pushed the kids to get them to bolt with me. I looked over my shoulder to see what the situation was. And regretted looking as soon as I did. Whoever he was, he sure didn't waste any time in starting the pursuit. He was right on top of us. He probably wasn't going as fast as he could. Jack ass! I hated being toyed with like this. If he was gonna catch us, why didn't he just do it?!

I simply rolled my eyes and focused my attention back to the ringing phone. It had rung three times already, what was taking them so long to pick up?!

I was losing faith in who ever it was and very quickly! It was the fourth tone now and my heart was going mad. It may have been my paranoia acting up, but I swear I could feel his breath on the back of my neck!

By the fifth tone someone finally answered.

"Hello?" I asked in a frustrated tone.

/"Cloud, we're all here. What's the problem?"/ I heard Tifa answer.

"There's a silver haired man here."I said vaguely. I didn't really have the stamina to talk and run at the same time… or the lung capacity.

/"He didn't hurt you, did he?!"/ Zack asked frantically. Of course he'd ask that.

"No. He tried to grab the children, but they got away." I lied. "… Now he's chasing us."

/"What does he look like?"/ Mr. Valentine asked.

Aw, they were gonna make me talk weren't they? … Let me see, how could I paint this picture?

"He's… he's uh… tall, kinda burley… has silver swirly hair and… I dunno… I didn't see his eyes." I lied again. Why was I lying about this? I guess I just didn't want to remember his eyes. They scared me a lot!

There was a long pause on the other line. What were they doing? Shouldn't they be coming to our aid like they promised? Maybe they were quickly running through a vague battle plan they cooked up while waiting for the inevitable call. How could they expect something _not_ to go wrong? That actually made me wonder if they purposely dangled me out here as bait so they could catch this guy.

Funny. This guy seemed more henchman to me. His body said brawn and not much brain. Speaking of which I suddenly felt his firm grip on my shoulder! "Ah! He's fast!" I yelled. Maybe that would be a distinction to them.

I gasped as I felt him pulling me back. A slight "irk" sound came from my throat when the man's other hand wrapped around my neck. The phone slipped from my hand and clattered on the ground once he lifted me into the air. "No…!" I said kicking madly trying to get free. I had to tell them where we were. I kept my eyes on the phone, just wishing that I had held onto it.

I saw the kids peering from behind a wall. "D-Denzel… get the phone…" I stammered. As soon as I spoke the man's grip tightened around my neck until I could only choke. The fact that I could hardly breathe wasn't so much painful as it was annoying. I kicked harder but to no avail. He was holding me his full arm's length away from his body. My legs couldn't reach, no matter how hard I tried.

To my relief Denzel picked up the phone and then ran back to safety. I focused back on my own predicament and thought of how I could get out of it without being injured too badly. From everywhere I looked at it, there was no way out. He amazingly didn't leave any openings!

I must've missed something because now Marlene had the phone and Denzel was running back to… uh… save me. I was doomed. But I found myself counting on him when the man turned to leave. With each stride he took, I felt more and more like I wanted to cry. I was so embarrassed when I started whimpering just to keep the tears at bay. Oh! I was so dead!

No. I was saved. That hurt my pride. He'd managed to take down this giant by ramming into him from behind. That brought me to realize that the ogre was now on top of me and crushing my ribs. "Ah!"

"Cloud?" Denzel asked. "Need some help?"

"Please!" I gasped. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. Denzel made a move to help, but Mr. Man started getting up and we both froze. Of course! He wasn't ever knocked out, he just fell over.

He threw a punch at Denzel as he was getting up, but Denzel pulled back at the last second so it only got his nose. He still fell over and it looked like it would bruise pretty badly. I was left feeling like it was my fault. This guy was after me, so they say. But he didn't disprove that when he got to his feet and brought his foot down onto my sternum and held it there so I couldn't go anywhere. I heard Marlene screaming as he did so. But what she said I couldn't make out.

I was confused when he started laughing at something. That is, until I felt that warmth running down my cheek. I raised a hand to my face and brushed it off to see the salty liquid dripping off my finger. Damn! I failed! I shed a tear. No! That habit was something I was trying to wean myself off from. I was surprised when he lifted his foot off my chest and started crying himself. Denzel had kicked and nailed the Neanderthal right in the balls. Good shot! Not my style, but good shot nonetheless.

I took my chance and got to my feet as fast as I could. I ran over to Marlene without stopping, Denzel right behind me, and took the phone. "Come on! Come on!" I said as I kept running. I let Denzel go out in front because he knew his way around where I was running blind.

/"Where are you?"/ Mr. Valentine asked from the phone.

"We were looking down in one of the back allies and some guy showed up." I paused to clench a hand on my aching chest. "He's really… almost inhumanly fast."

/"Are you hurt?!"/ Zack shouted through the phone.

I rolled my eyes again but never took them off Denzel. He was zigging and zagging, making the path we were taking as erratic as possible. "No one's hurt." I sighed.

/"S-say that again."/ Zack answered.

"I said no one's hurt!" I shouted rather irritated. If he wasn't going to listen, then why the hell did he bother asking?! I jumped when stupid and ugly caught up to us. Denzel toppled over a trash can and he ran right into it making a loud crashing sound. "Geez!"

I hope they didn't hear that over the phone. That'd do nothing but make them worry and I was just hoping that'd we'd all make it out of this with some bruises.

/"Where are you now?"/ Mr. Valentine asked.

I looked up and licked at my dry lips. I had quite a few nervous habits and I never really thought about them until now… when I had performed two, maybe three of them in the past ten minutes. Anyway, I looked around and saw one thing. The monument in the square. That was recognizable and it also meant we'd almost gone in a circle. Denzel and Marlene pulled me aside under a fire escape and behind a dumpster. It smelled, but we were concealed from sight.

"I can see the monument in the central square. We've taken cover and trying to stay out of sight." I said holding my breath as best I could.

We waited a few more minutes and began to get impatient, we didn't want to hang out here all day… so either Zack and the others show up, or stupid walk by so we could double back on him. Neither were happening. Denzel and Marlene began whispering something to each other. But I heard something heading towards us and basically told them to shut it. I couldn't help it, I was tense. He struck me as a SOLDIER and SOLDIERs had enhanced senses, including hearing. They had enhanced everything now that I think about it. So this wasn't the time to be whispering things to one another.

Sure enough stupid walked by and didn't even look at us. I held in my relieved sigh until I was sure he was long gone. I exhaled and left my hiding place. Just realizing my phone was still on, I hoped they weren't freaking out. I should probably say something. Lifting the phone to my ear I took a breath to speak when there was a loud bang from behind me.

"AGH!!" Next thing I knew, my phone was on the ground, I was on my knees and clutching my searing shoulder. It burned like acid. What just happened?! I'd never felt anything like this before.

The burning quickly turned into a sting that traveled all the way up my arm until it caused a prickling sensation in my brain. My body wanted to shut down, but I wouldn't give in. This was just great! My left forearm injured and now my right shoulder was bleeding like hell!

I wasn't in a very happy mood right now and it didn't help when I heard an even more irritating chuckle coming from the culprit. It wasn't stupid and ugly either. It was someone else.

Another wave of pain shot through me and I fell to my side. I was being so dramatic, I hated myself.

"What's the matter?" The newcomer asked in a mocking tone.

I just glared at him. This long haired, effeminate jerk! Why did he find pain so funny? I searched his face for the answer and everything about him said sadist! I couldn't believe this. Turning away, I saw my phone. It was still on and I could vaguely hear Mr. Valentine screaming through it for someone to answer. I used my left arm and reached for it, but when I did, this newcomer stepped over me and stomped his boot down on it. There was a sad little plinking sound before it snapped in two.

"No!" I was still paying for that! This guy was not getting on my good side.

"Loz!" He shouted. "Get the other two and come with me."

"Don't even!" I yelled seeing he meant to pick me up. No. He'd better just stay away from me. I was feeling confident, until he started laughing again.

"What are _you_ going to do about it?" He asked. When he scooped me up, I couldn't help but scream, I think the sadist meant to take hold of my injured shoulder. More moisture was beginning to gather at my eyes, but I just closed them and held it back as best I could.

"Yazoo!" The other guy called.

"Loz. Stop crying and just follow me." … Yazoo said. I grunted when he roughly slung me over his shoulder. I was for the third time today finding it difficult to breathe. I guess it was because he was careless and now my diaphragm was resting on his shoulder. Even though it didn't look it, he was wearing shoulder armor. That made it even worse. This was so humiliating!

"I'm not crying." Idiot stick said walking up with two kicking children in his grasp.

"Mmhmm." Yazoo nodded. He just shrugged, which caused me great discomfort, and then walked away. I didn't have anything better to do besides stare pathetically at stupid. Wait… Was it just me, or did I just get a reaction out of him?

"Yazoo…?" He said unsurely.

Oh yeah… I got a reaction out of him. Maybe, I could… well it wouldn't hurt to try.

I tried pouting like a child, which wasn't hard because I was in pain and holding back tears, but that was beside the point. The point was, he reacted more strongly and pouted back. I dunno if Yazoo knew what I was doing or not, but he threw me down against a brick wall in the back alley we were just in.

"Ow!" I complained. But I was ignored. Marlene and Denzel were set down beside me and were looking at me funny. "What?" I asked in a whisper.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Marlene answered.

"I did all that I could in my condition. I don't have much training." I half shrugged. I couldn't even move my shoulder now. I was pissed. What good did this armor do me? The bullet hit just beneath it!

"We didn't exactly do all we could either, Marlene." Denzel sighed. "We'll make it through."

"Shhh." I said putting my left finger to my lips. I wanted to eavesdrop.

"What do we do now, Yazoo?" Numbskull asked. "He didn't tell me what to do after I got him."

"Loz, I don't think he cares what you do to him. You could probably have sex with him and he wouldn't care." Yazoo said sarcastically.

"Eww!" Ugly said as he cringed. "Yazoo, that's just gross. I wouldn't do that… but seriously…"

"Loz. Just watch." Yazoo said walking up to us. He raised his gun and paused to show us a smirk. I shut my eyes and waited for the blow, but it didn't come. I opened my eyes and instead Denzel fell over.

"Denzel!" Both Marlene and I shouted.

"Oh, be quiet." Yazoo said digging his thumb into my open injury.

"Ah!" I hissed. I hate sadists. This wasn't funny like his laughter was making it out to be.

"Loz, pay attention!" He hissed. I couldn't help but feel a little queasy when seeing my blood dripping down his wrist. He Leaned past me and picked up Denzel. What was he doing? My question was answered quickly when he dragged his blood covered thumb across the boy's forehead. My eye twitched in disgust. That had to be the most disturbing thing I'd ever seen anyone do.

"Yazoo, what does that do?" Lame brain asked scratching his head.

"Look." He sighed. "Take Cloud with you and _I'll_ distract them. **Do not** bandage his wound until you've taken portions of his blood and spread them all over. That will confuse the SOLDIER. _Then_ when you're sure you've accomplished that task, take him to the church and wait. Do what you want with the girl."

Marlene and I were both listening to this with looks of horror. How could anyone be so sick? Maybe I was just biased. But it was my blood they were going to use and that meant I'd have to deal with possibly hours of pain. But… maybe I could reason with dipsoid. He did react to my previous actions. Maybe, just maybe he would let us go. That is, if he took Marlene. My bet is, he would. He struck me as the type to like kids.

"Yazoo… won't that hurt him?" Dumbo asked, as expected.

"Of course it will. But it's not my idea. _**He**_ told me to do it, and I'm telling you."

"I guess that makes sense." Idiot said… thinking?

"Uh-huh… now go!" Yazoo said pushing him before running back the way he came.

Nitwit stood there and thought. He stared at us and Marlene stared back. I looked away from him. Just trying to see if he would say something, that's when you make your move, because normally if they say something they feel something of compassion.

"Uh…" He said unsurely. After a few moments he picked up Denzel and walked off. It was clear that if we both ran off, he'd track us down and possibly kill one of us.

It was that or he'd figure he screwed up and wait for Yazoo to come back. Stupid swirly haired jerk! I'm so glad he couldn't hear my thoughts. I would never say this stuff out loud. The way I spoke to Yazoo was the first time I had spoke up for myself in a long time. I mean a really long time. Thinking back on it, I realize I've never had many reasons to speak up for myself. I wanted to when Tifa's father blamed me for her getting hurt. I had next to nothing to do with it. I was there though, that was his only reasoning.

I looked to Marlene. Maybe she had a plan to get away from this guy. But she looked back at me quizzically. She didn't have one. That's what I observed. But I still wanted to be sure.

"Marlene." I whispered. "Any ideas?"

"No…" She answered back. I had to look a little disappointed. Apparently Denzel was the idea man. I couldn't help but let out a long sigh once I realized the suspected to be true.

"Run." I said staring at my shoes. "Go back to the bar."

"No…" She replied shaking her head.

"Marlene, go. I'll be fine." I said more sternly. But she didn't think long before she got to her feet and ran down the alley. I watched her go, but I didn't feel sad. I just spent my time casually waiting. Waiting like a prisoner for his sentence.

After about seven minutes, I found myself wishing even Loz would come back. Stupid ogre. Where was he? This was the first moment in months that I've felt so alone. There was no noise, no one around. The absence of people always made me afraid. I hated to be alone, and yet, I hid from the others in the barracks. I confuse myself so much. Almost as much as others confused me.

I clutched my shoulder when I felt a twinge of pain radiating from the bullet wound. The sting made me hiss, but it wasn't as bad now.

--

Bringing my knees up to let my left elbow rest on them I hid my face in the crook of my arm. "Why? Why am I a weak little crybaby?" I asked myself. I couldn't hold it in anymore, I was so sad. I didn't even know why. I just felt so sad and hurt. All of the pent up emotions released at that moment and the tears forced their way beyond my control. And of course that left me feeling weaker because I couldn't even control _myself_! My cheeks pinkened and I felt the warmth running down my face. But it somehow felt cooling, like all of my tension was leaving with the tears.

"Where did she go?"

"Huh?!" I looked up a bit shocked. I was so caught up with my emotional problems that I hadn't even heard him walking back. "She… _hic_" I stopped talking and just blinked. I… hiccupped. I forgot I was crying in the state of my surprise.

"Don't cry." He said pulling me up onto my feet. Too late. Now that I've started, I can't stop. I really wanted a hug, but he wouldn't and didn't do that. He just picked me up, made sure I could stand, and took a step back.

"Are you gonna kill me now?" I asked rubbing my eyes. But every damn time I cleared the tears that were there, new ones formed. It was endless!

"Kill you? No." He said almost offended. "No one's gonna kill you. He wouldn't allow it." He paused for a while. It made me a little nervous. "Sorry your little friend ran off." He sighed.

That was what he was thinking about that whole time? I was unimpressed by his process ability. But soon I was torn from my thoughts by pain… again. It was Loz, he'd taken a firm grip on my left arm. I tried to hold in my cry too, but I failed at that as well. "Ah!" I was getting tired of this sort of treatment.

At the sound of my scream, Loz released my arm and jumped. He wasn't expecting that. "What?!" He said in an almost frightened tone.

"N-nothing. You just agitated my bite… that's all." I said timidly.

"Are you going to scream like that every time I get blood from you?" He asked cautiously.

I thought and remembered the pain when Yazoo did it. "… Probably." I said finally after hesitating to answer. I couldn't tell what he was thinking with these questions.

"Hmm…" Uh-oh. He was thinking again!

He didn't say anything after that, but he did start dragging me by my left arm again. But this time by the upper arm. I lost track of all the places we went, but it was probably a full circle. Every time he found a good place to mark, he took the blood from around the bullet wound instead of digging into it. It stung a little because of the oversensitive area, but it was much better than what he could've done. And again I felt regret. I'd been so rude to him, but he was being so nice to me. Unlike Yazoo, Loz was going out of his way and making things more difficult so I wouldn't feel as much pain.

--

We got to the last spot and Loz did nothing but curse. I looked at him confused, but I knew why he was upset. The blood around the wound had dried up. But if he let this spot stay clear, there'd be a huge open spot in the circle he'd created. And I cursed myself for letting my meek personality take over and be lead around like a dog. Why did I cling to whoever I was with?!

"There's no blood left." He complained. I tried looking at the bullet wound, but it made me feel sick to see it. Part of me wanted to offer suggestions, but I also wanted to see if he'd give up.

"Let's just try and do it really fast." He said nervously.

I think in his perspective, I was a child and he didn't like to hurt children. Nonetheless, he stuck his index finger into the bullet wound and slid it across the flat surface he'd selected. He was so fast I barely saw it. But it only took a short time for the pain to come. Wanting to hold it back from Loz, I was able to dull it down to a hiss and a wince.

"Let's go." He said quickly wrapping some random cloth around the bullet wound. I couldn't help but wonder if he was in a rush about something. There really was no time to ask.

He wrapped one of his arms around my waste and tucked the other under just under my knees. It felt really awkward. But after that, he took off going at my guess, his top speed. Everything looked blue. It was like the images of space travel we often see. Weird. Then we were soon standing outside this old decrepit building that had seen better days.

"Come with me." Loz said placing me back down on my feet.

"Ugh…" I answered folding over and falling on my butt. My insides felt like someone had put them through the washer or something. All churned up and in the wrong place.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked walking over.

I responded by clutching my stomach and falling onto the flat of my back. And 'Bam!' The sun hit me square in the face and made me squint to see Loz leaning over me. I didn't care what he thought anymore. I felt flushed and like I was gonna throw up. Yeah. I didn't care about him seeing much else, but I refused to puke in front of him.

"You don't look so good." He said moving to block my eyes from the sun.

"Nngh." I groaned. And not before long I was back in his arms. I merely relaxed and let him carry me off, bridal style, into the building.

Barely inside and it was not long before I heard footsteps outside.

--

**(A/N)** Remember to review. I like hearing from you guys.


	5. Zack 3

**(A/N)** Sorry this took so long. I'm not even completely satisfied with it. I'll give it a run through if you guys don't think it's good enough.

--

With each step, my patience was weathered down on the gravel. Each little crunch under my boots put me on the brink. If that Loz was in there, I was gonna tear him apart. Cracking my knuckles in anticipation, my strides quickened. I bypassed all of the junk strewn about. The pieces of the church all over the ground. Putting nostalgia at the back of my mind and forcing it to stay. I didn't want to see the ghostly images of people and children running about through the trash. My eyes stayed focused on the dark, hard wood doors… or what was left of them. I was straining to see what was inside. I could see where the wall had been crushed and the pool of water in the place of the flowers.

"I guess this is it." I said passing the fallen steeple. My steps were heavy as I walked up to the opening where doors once were. My heart sank when I didn't see Cloud anywhere. But I _did_ see **Loz**! He looked surprised to see me. Did he honestly think I wouldn't find him?!

"Hello." He said with an irritatingly smug look on his face. Was he confident about something?

"You think you can take me?" I growled. But he didn't answer. He only laughed. "Where is he?!"

Losing control of my anger, I lunged at him. Passing the broken pews and running a few yards before he held up a hand in front of him. I skidded to a halt with his palm an inch away from my face. If he wasn't going to fight, I wouldn't attack. It pissed me off, but it just wasn't my style and I had to stay true to myself. But why did he stop me? Loz was the violent remnant, he loved to fight. It was just bizarre that he turned it down like that. There was an obvious question written all over my face by this point.

"It wouldn't be smart to fight here." He said slowly.

"And why would that be?" I asked. Cloud must be close by. That would be the only reason he wouldn't fight me and it would keep me from beating the hell out of him.

"…" He started to answer. But we were both interrupted from our banter by a pained groan.

He then looked torn. Looking back and forth from me and then to the pew next to him. He continued on like that for a few moments and then jumped out of the aisle. I watched him quietly as he knelt down in front of the pew, whispering something.

I stepped forward. This caused him to look up abruptly and glare. "What?" I shrugged. I was curious. And I knew it was Cloud he was hiding.

"Don't come over here. You can't have him back." He answered, but with uncertainty in his voice.

"You think you can keep me from taking him?" I laughed. I just strutted up to him and looked down at the pew he was kneeling next to. And, as I thought, Cloud was lying there in the pew. He looked completely dazed and sick. I didn't see any severe injuries. Say for a bullet wound on his upper arm. Loz wouldn't have done that to him. It must've been Yazoo. I only say that because when I walked over he was stroking the blonde's hair. I would've found it heart warming if I didn't know he was going to hand Cloud over to Sephiroth. But perhaps I could convince him to simply let him go. He seemed to care about him a lot. That was a complete change of pace than from a few years back.

"Loz. Why are you doing what the others say?" I asked. He didn't answer. He just looked back at Cloud and continued petting him. "Loz… let him go. You know he's going to hurt him."

"I can't. If I don't do what they say, I'll be in trouble."

"There's no way I can change your mind, huh?" I sighed. I was gonna have to hurt him. If I merely outsmarted him, he'd still get in trouble. I'd be kinda an asshole for it, but it was the only thing I could think of that would save him from Sephiroth's anger.

"What're you doing?" He asked a bit startled.

I jumped backwards to the entrance of the church and charged. He quickly evaded and I nearly lost my footing. But his next move would finish this. I had to assume he'd attack from behind. I looked at Cloud, just to make sure he was still there and okay. He was, but he was still looking completely out of it. When I saw his eyes widen, I thrust my elbow behind me and hit Loz directly in the diaphragm. I knew that wouldn't be enough, so I continued to flip him over my shoulder and into the pool. That ought to keep him at bay for a while. The water supposedly hurt them after all. Something about coming from the planet and anything coming from Gaia burned them. Paranoid nonsense if you ask me. But it worked. He started thrashing and floundering around as though he _were_ being burned.

"Let's go." I said running over to the pew. I picked Cloud up and put him on his feet, grabbed hold of his arm, and pulled him along out the door.

It wasn't long before we were out the door and I was starting to feel relief. But it was torn away as usual. It suddenly felt like I was pulling more weight than before. When I looked back, I saw Cloud had fallen on the ground, and I had been dragging him for a couple of feet. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but he didn't look up to answering any questions or talking for that matter. He was worrying me quite a bit, but my questions were soon answered.

After groaning and clutching his stomach, the contents of it spilled onto the dust. I was ashamed of myself to be relieved that he vomited. But, like I said, it did answer my questions. Cloud at this age got motion sickness… and Loz had just had him on a bike. He must feel so sick. But we had no time to take a break. I scooped him up and continued running. Probably not the best thing for his aching stomach, but what choice did I have? I had to get him out of here before either Loz got out of the pool or Sephiroth showed up. That made me wonder where he was.

He could have split up and started searching as well as the remnants. But something told me that he wouldn't be _that_ obsessive. There was a line that he just wouldn't cross. That line most likely had something to do with making the minions at least try first. Then if they failed he'd handle it himself. Typical villain. I rolled my eyes at the thought.

"Zack…"

I almost tripped at the unexpected noise. He said something? That was quite a change of pace from the previous groans and whining. I kinda missed it. He was just so cute in any way. Noooo. I scolded myself yet again! He was in pain. There was nothing good about that! I had to stop and let him settle a bit before we started again.

I stopped as smoothly as I could, but I could tell Cloud was really uncomfortable from it. Wait. Did he want to say something? I looked down at the blonde, but he showed no signs of speaking again. He did open his eyes from having them previously shut tight. I put the pieces together fairly quickly and set him down slowly and very, very gently. His face was flushed, probably from holding in his stomach's contents while I ran, but his face being even paler than usual made him look even more delicate than normal.

There had to be an easier, smoother way of travel than this. I was pretty much torturing him right now. At least that's the way my mind interpreted it. I didn't want to torture him, I wanted to hold him and make him feel safe when he was with me. I wanted to be there to take the pain away. I wanted to protect him with my life all over again. My thoughts were broken with yet more noise.

As I thought, he vomited after turning over onto his side. Some dust flew up as he did so. That showed me that we were in the very place this all started. The Wasteland.

--

I gave a long sigh while running a hand through my hair. This was irritating. Highly irritating. I had to go to Wutai, but I'd made no progress at all. The sun was going down already and it was going to be difficult to get anywhere after dark. There were no real modes of transportation anymore. There was no hope of even stealing a helicopter anymore. More like it wasn't an option. I could've taken one from Neo-Shinra, but going back to Midgar would be the stupidest idea of the day.

It wouldn't help much to ask Cloud if he knew how to get anywhere. As far as he knew, Wutai was enemy territory, and leaving to go there without authorization was desertion. I looked to my left to see Edge. The scattered and destroyed ruins of the old metropolis. That was another thing, Cloud remembered Midgar as it was all those years ago when it was still under construction. I couldn't let him see those ruins. He'd recognize something and then his mind would be shattered.

Sighing again, I looked to my right to see that dreaded cliff. The place of my death. It wasn't the haunting sounds of the gunshots that scared me. It was the maddening scent of my blood. I didn't want to know what would happen if I got near it. Not for sure.

I could see the sword from where I was standing. It was inevitable. _I needed that sword!_ Maybe I could get Cloud to pull it out. No. It was in too deep for him to pull out. I had to try and get it without going insane. We had to leave now. There was no question left. There was no time to wait. Yazoo _may_ have fled by now! Loz _may_ have realized that the water wasn't hurting him!! And I had yet to see Kadaj!!!

"Zack?" I heard a small voice ask. "What are you staring at?"

I looked up quickly. Cloud had managed to get up on all fours, but he was still shaky and pale. It was an improvement I guess. And sadly, my concern for his well being blocked the sexual fantasy waiting to happen seeing the position he was in. "Um… you see that cliff?" I said pointing toward it. He glanced and nodded. "We have to go up there and get that sword."

"Okay… Doesn't that belong to another first?" He said with confusion. It did technically belong to Angeal. And the first time I met him I didn't have the Buster Sword. In fact, the first time I met him was the assignment in which I _inherited_ the Buster Sword.

However, from what I saw in the mirror, it made me question whether or not that _was_ the first time I met him. For some reason I saw his face in the mirror before _that assignment_. But that was just the time I caught some guys messing with a cadet in a foyer. Was that Cloud? It couldn't be. It was true that I wasn't really paying attention, I just busted the kids and they scattered. I never thought much about it after. Thinking about it now, I probably should've checked up on the poor cadet. Big mistake on my part. But I had a lot on my mind at the time. And! I was still a crazy second at that time. I thought they were all just having fun. My point is, I had to help with the plan on the invasion of Fort Tamblin the next morning, it was past curfew, and I made stupid decisions that I normally paid for later. I still do in fact.

If it was Cloud, he didn't show any resentment towards me the next time we met. In fact, he was quick and eager to become my friend. He must be thankful that I busted it up at least. If it were any other SOLDIER they would've laughed, asked in on the action, or just told them to continue. It disgusted me how immature some of those guys were.

I shook my head and saw right away that he noticed. I'd ask him about it later. Way later. If it _was_ him, he probably didn't want to remember it any time soon.

I walked over to him and picked him up slowly. He made a sound of protest, but I didn't trust him to walk. I made sure to give him a stern look that got my point across. He made a face that made him look even more childish. But it did nothing on my conscience. It just made it harder to tear my eyes off him, but I did after struggling. I looked up towards the cliff and walked. I found myself thinking about that memory. I was, at this point, doing anything to keep myself from staring at the boy.

--

It was about thirteen years ago at 11:24 P.M., Tuesday, November the fifth…

_I was walking down the main hall of the seventeenth floor. I was late for an insane meeting. For some reason Angeal set that debriefing really late in the evening. He also decided it after he dumped all of his paperwork on me, gave me a million things to copy and had me help lecture/train the cadets all day. I was exhausted and just wanted to get the damned meeting over with so I could go to sleep. But to do that, I had to go all the way to floor forty nine in the SOLDIER debriefing room! _

_Nothing much was on my mind at the time. Just getting there and getting out. I was focusing completely on the hallway in front of me. The only time I split my focus was when I heard a commotion going on up ahead. It was far enough away so I couldn't make out exactly what was going on. This was where I had to make a decision. The hallway I was supposed to take a left turn in was coming up, and the noises were coming from farther down in the foyer._

_Still walking, I weighed the pros and cons. On the positive side, I get there now, Angeal chews me out for being late then I have to sit through a debriefing before finally going to bed. Or… I go see what the noise was and claim that was why I was late. Both could take the same amount of time, or Angeal's lecture could take longer. This could possibly take longer. What if it was a brawl? I had to find out what it was now. If it was a fight or something, I'd get credit for breaking it up._

_I wanted to run, but I couldn't, knowing the sound of my heavy boots hitting the floor that hard would be a dead give away. No. Instead I took very light steps down the hall. They were so quiet I could barely hear them._

_Passing my turnoff, I heard a loud shriek coming from down the hall .It made my heart lurch and I wanted to sprint down there and bust whoever was up past curfew!_

_Finally the foyer was right around the corner. I pressed my back against the wall and sidled the last couple of feet to the edge. This was so easy I rolled my eyes and almost laughed. It couldn't be thirds or seconds. They would've heard me. It definitely wasn't firsts. I would've been caught before now. I silenced myself and listened before I decided to jump out._

"_Guys stop it! This isn't funny!" I heard a small, but angry, voice shout._

"_Shut up!" Came the blunt reply. Whatever was going on, it wasn't a brawl and it wasn't good. I was starting to consider just jumping out now, but I didn't have enough information to bust them for anything but being up past curfew._

"_Guys please! Stop!" That time the voice sounded more choked than angry. I strained my ears but didn't hear the mumbled response. A clanking sound caught my ears instead, after… Just the same voice again. "Help!"_

_The mere sound of the word caused my body to jolt back to life. I was planning on just lunging at the attackers, but I had to be more dignified than that. I took a deep breath, straightened up my posture and strode out from around the corner. _

_A quick glance gave me enough information on the situation to know what was going on here. There were about six of them. Four infantrymen and a third/new SOLDIER. They were all mobbing one cadet. He must've been from the new crop because I hadn't seen him before. Poor guy probably didn't have much luck getting anywhere on time yet. And these degenerates had scared him to tears. I could see why. They'd undone his jacket and taken off his shirt. His belt buckle had even been undone! I wrinkled my nose in disgust of their behavior._

_They'd all frozen up as soon as I'd walked out. I narrowed my eyes and glared at them. And just like that, they all scattered like cockroaches. There was no point in going after them. I wouldn't be able to get all of their names without being incredibly late. I was already pushing it as it was. I realized this and began to walk back towards the hall leading to elevator, but not before giving the cadet a sympathetic look. I doubt he even saw it. When I glanced he was too busy gathering up his clothes._

_--  
_

I was pretty convinced that the cadet was Cloud, but I couldn't be too sure. It was dark and if it was him, his hair was wetted down. So there was no way out. I was going to have to ask him later. I was hoping I wouldn't have to. If it was him, he'd probably get all mopey about it.

"Ugh!" I groaned at the smell that hit me like a wave of fumes. The headache was already setting in and we were still a few yards away from it. As if that weren't enough, the ancients just had to pile up on it. Cloud started struggling for some reason. He must have to puke again. I set him back down on the ground and he did what he had to do. This wasn't looking good. The contents of his stomach, which were spilling out, consisted of yellow bile. And nothing else. If he didn't stop I'd have to get him to a hospital. I knew he had motion sickness, but I didn't think it was this bad. He got nauseous from a helicopter ride, so Loz must've ran with his "super speed" to do this! But if he did do that, what was that fresh gasoline that I had sensed?

Cloud finished hurling, turned over on his side, so his back was facing it, and laid there. It was pathetic really. But I couldn't just walk over there and pick him up. It wouldn't help. The cold ground probably felt better anyway. If I were in his position I'd feel that way.

I did, however, walk over to him. I needed something to block off the foul stench with. It was attacking me worse than a 1000 needles from a cactuar! I stepped over and kneeled down in front of him. "Can I borrow you kerchief?" I asked. He looked at me as though I were causing him this discomfort. But after he winced and cupped a hand to his mouth, he nodded. "Thanks." I said smiling. I just wanted to brighten his mood a bit. It made me very happy to see it in his eyes; he still held his hand over his mouth though. But seeing it in the eyes was good enough.

I walked over towards the edge of the cliff, the kerchief held tightly against my nose the whole time. It helped, but I was still getting a headache. The Buster Sword was about a yard away from me when my legs started shaking, it felt like they were going to give out.

"Just… I little… farther…" I told myself. I was inching along by now, the smell was just so overbearing. The lightheaded feeling had come back. But my determination was enough to keep me on my feet. I put my hand out in front of me and grabbed hold of the hilt. I was doubting I could pull it out in the sorry state I was in however. But no matter what, I was going to try. I strengthened my grip and pulled.

Nothing happened.

I tried again…

Still nothing.

This was bad. I needed a weapon! Without it, our defenses would be too weak. That and I'd be at a disadvantage against someone with a weapon. Our position needed to change from retreat to defense at least. We couldn't just keep running away. Though this was probably their aim. If we kept running we'd probably screw up eventually. One mistake. That was all they were waiting for. I had to try one last time! Just one more time…

Nothing. It didn't even budge.

My heart sank. The Buster Sword was the only weapon that could stand a chance against Masamune. Any other weapon would break on impact! Damn!

I glanced off Toward Edge. A storm cloud was gathering. It almost looked like a hurricane over the church. I bit my lower lip in guilt. Sephiroth must've found out what happened. That meant nothing good for Loz. And it was my fault but I couldn't let Sephiroth get Cloud. He was innocent of anything Sephiroth wanted revenge for. I just wished he could see that. Where had his common sense gone?

I let my hand slip off the hilt of the blade and I walked back over to the purging blonde. I really wished he'd stop. If he didn't stop soon it could become hazardous. I leaned back on something very cool and waited for him to regain control. Glancing off toward the ruins of Midgar again and saw two dust clouds rising up and coming out towards us. I instantly tensed when I saw six black forms rise up into shadow creepers. That only meant that Loz _and_ Yazoo were headed our way.

"Damn!" I cursed. It got Cloud's attention. He must've known that **me** swearing wasn't anything good. I couldn't help it. There wasn't a fast way for us to get out of here in time. Not now. Growling slightly, I bashed my fist against whatever it was I was leaning on. "Bong!"

"What the hell?"

What was I leaning against? It couldn't be a boulder like I thought it was. Boulders didn't make that sound when you hit them. No. That sounded like metal. I whirled around and saw sleek, metallic black. Running my eyes further down, I saw a black leather seat leading back to over brushed golden mechanics. I glanced back up toward the front of the vehicle to see the two distinctive front wheels. Ah! Thank you Gaia! By some stroke of luck, it was Fenrir! I had been overlooking Fenrir the entire time!

"Cloud, I'm sorry, but we have to go." I said walking over and picking him up. He groaned loudly but didn't protest. He showed no signs of spilling more bile either, so taking that as a good sign, I placed him on the bike. It took me a while to position myself on the bike so that I was behind him. In the end he had to hunch over and I had to lean over him so I could reach the controls. It was probably uncomfortable for him, but I wanted to ensure he wouldn't fall off.

Fenrir lurched to life and I made sure to keep it at a low speed as to not alert Loz or Yazoo of our position. We had to make our way to Wutai somehow. But we couldn't get there with Fenrir.

Finding someway to got there from Kalm would be too obvious a move.

It was all becoming clear that I hadn't thought everything through. I didn't even think of how to get to Wutai. I only knew that was the safest place to go.

I was currently taking us to Junon, but we couldn't stay there for long. It'd be searched sooner or later. As would all the cities around Edge. This was so frustrating. If worse came to worse, I think we'd have to hide in the northern crater. That may not even be the last place they'd expect. Perhaps… no. That's obvious too. "What can I do?" I muttered. Sephiroth knew every last trick I had. The only thing I could think of to do was improvise. Come up with something new. But I'd need some time to come up with something… something unexpected… but not too flashy.

--

We'd been riding for about fifteen minutes and I'd already picked up on some shadow creepers coming towards us. They were moving fast and they were blood thirsty. I don't know what scent they could've caught onto but they were following it like the savage beast they were. I took the risk of glancing behind me to see if they were indeed behind us. Or rather, how close they were. They were obviously using the shadow creepers to track our position and lead them straight to us. What could I do? What could I do?! What could I do?!! I had no weapon. I couldn't destroy the shadow creepers when they got too close. They'd mob us and then we'd be trapped.

That is unless I did the obvious for this situation.

I looked at the gas gauge to make sure it wasn't too low. "I'm apologizing in advance for this." I said to the doubled over blonde in front of me. But I could just make seeing a doctor a main priority once in Wutai. Or possibly sooner.

And without any further delay. I floored it. (So to speak) I watched the speed climb and climb. Eighty seven, one hundred eighteen, one hundred thirty four, one hundred eighty, all the way to the max of two hundred fifty. I took another glance to see the shadow creepers slipping away.

"Look out!" I suddenly heard the small blonde say.

My vision shot back forward and focused on the small figure approaching. They were on a bike as well. Was it Kadaj? I hadn't seen him yet.

They were getting closer. I didn't break my focus. We were on a crash course, but I could avoid a crash on Fenrir easily. Sure I hadn't operated _this_ bike before… but I've seen Cloud use it all the time.

The figure was now close enough to see… _was_ it Kadaj? No. It was Yazoo! Of course. Sephiroth wouldn't unveil Kadaj unless he absolutely needed him. So if this was Yazoo, where was Loz? Let's see, Yazoo was approaching from the front on my left…

I turned my focus to the left, then the right.

There he was. On my right, as expected. They were trying to trap me. That wasn't going to work… "Huh?" I gasped. There was a sudden movement underneath me. It was so shocking that I took my eyes off the other two to investigate the source.

Cloud had started shivering. What was wrong with him?! Shaking wasn't a symptom of motion sickness and his eyes were shut so he couldn't be scared. But most of all, it was a huge distraction! I really wished he would stop. His position under me was only making it worse. I wanted to shout to him, to possibly shock him out of it. But I knew that wouldn't work. This wasn't the time or place for that. I'd have to ignore it as best I could.

I was only able to take my attention off of the quivering blonde when the two motors were roaring in my ears. That meant they got too close!!!

"Damn!" I cursed under my breath.

Both Yazoo and Loz crashed against the sides of Fenrir. My intention was on Yazoo if anything else. He had his gun aimed directly at me. I glared and practically dared him to fire. He laughed. I was confused after that. I was always confused when he did that. I changed my glare to a 'what's so funny' expression. He nodded in Loz's direction.

Immediately I turned to that side and saw that he'd been leaning in. Was he reaching for Cloud? Dammit! This was nothing but aggravating. I couldn't swerve away. So that _was_ the plan? Of course I doubt it would've worked if Cloud hadn't distracted me like that. But I couldn't blame him. He didn't do it on purpose. Unfortunately I couldn't focus on him for long. I had to get these two away from us.

But how? What did Cloud usually do?

Well, for one he was never distracted by a potential boner. I was just glad that I wasn't in one of those moods right now.

"Ah!" I heard the same small voice.

From what I could tell, Yazoo had just grabbed him by the hair and pulled. That made him lurch forward. The next thing I knew, he had pressed something and two compartments flared out from the front tires. The force sent both bikes flying in either direction. Not only that, but every piece of First Tsrugi was inside. That made me feel like and idiot. I'd completely forgotten about that. But that was the biggest attachment that made Fenrir so unique. It was something no other bike had.

I wanted to reach in and pull out a piece, but before I even tried Cloud accidently pressed the same button again and it closed. It was probably for the best. I couldn't maneuver on this unfamiliar machine while handling an unfamiliar weapon as well. I couldn't yet anyway. It was something I was going to work on. Especially since First Tsrugi was probably the weapon I'd have to end up using.

--

We kept going for hours it seemed. Nothing more was heard from Yazoo or Loz. Seems that one little slip up caused them to fall behind. My guess, they fell too far behind and couldn't get their bearings straight and now they were probably squabbling over it. They'd always been that way. In fact, that was what caused the most entertainment. Mostly it was Loz's violence that caused the outbreak. Yazoo couldn't resist an urge to pick on him and one day Loz just lost it.

Obviously that wasn't the end of it.

I guess I couldn't stay mad at them. After all, no matter how you looked at it, they were both tools. Used by Kadaj and now that Kadaj was out of the picture, Sephiroth was probably pulling the strings now. "What's with him and puppets?" I thought out loud.

/VRRRR!!! /

"Phone?" I said in surprise. It wasn't mine. My phone sounded like someone stepped on it and then threw it in the pool. This one sounded normal. It had to be Cloud's.

I looked for a spot to pull over. The edge of the Wasteland was coming into view, but we were still no where near Junon. It may not be safe to stop. "Cloud…" I leaned down and whispered. He showed a faint response, but he didn't answer. "Cloud, could you get your phone please?"

He nodded and shuffled around on the seat trying to reach in his pocket without sitting up. It looked like it was an ordeal, but he got it nonetheless. I snatched it out of his hand without really meaning to. It was simply that his hand looked shaky and I didn't want him to drop it.

"Hmm…" I sighed staring at the tiny screen. It said \Cid/. Who was Cid again? Was he the guy with the gun fro an arm? No…. come to think of it… where had I heard the name Cid before?

/VRRRR!!!/

Taking that as a sign that it really wasn't a wrong number, I flipped the phone open and listened.

"Hello?" I said with a little pep in my voice. I wanted to sound optimistic even though that wasn't how I felt at the moment.

/"Who the hell are you?"/ The voice on the other end asked.

"I'm Zack." I answered. "Cloud can't talk right now, but I'm sure I can help."

/"Can't talk?! Oh well… he's not much of a talker anyhow."/ There was a pause for a moment. /"Vincent called me and told me to go to the plains. Now you're supposed to meet me there. And don't question it, just go!"/ He said angrily and then hung up.

Whoever this Cid was, he didn't sound very happy to be bothered. Still, it was nice of him to help out. I leaned forward to slide the phone back into Cloud's pocket and to the left to simultaneously turn toward the plains. This was going to be such a relief! The plains were much closer than Junon. If I had to guess, it was about a half an hour away. That was much better than the three hours to Junon. I made sure Cloud was safely secure on the seat and downed the speed to sixty five.

--

We reached the plains in a bout forty five minutes. It took a bit longer than expected, but that was only because Cloud had to stop and puke again. This was making me anxious. I was convinced that it wasn't his motion sickness anymore. He'd been displaying severe and strange symptoms that went beyond that. I could only hope that this Cid was going to have a smoother mode of transportation, or something that was fast so I could get to a doctor.

I could see something in the distance. It looked like… a giant bug or something. What the heck was that?

"Think we should get closer, Cloud?" I asked peering down at him.

"Eh!" Was the shocked response. He must've been asleep or something.

"Sorry…" I said apologetically. I felt kind of bad that I woke him up. If I did. He should be resting no matter what this was.

We'd gotten close enough to the object for me to see that it was an airship. So that means that Cid was… the pilot always flying them around. My guess was that this was the Shera. I brought Fenrir to a stop right in front of a blonde man wearing goggles. Contrary to his attitude on the phone, he looked… I don't want to say happy, but he wasn't scowling. He didn't look annoyed either. How much had Vincent told him?

"Hey." I smiled. He didn't show any response.

"Hey you two!" Came a feminine voice. That made me put a stupid look on my face. Where had that come from? "Zack, go ahead and put Fenrir up back."

"Tifa?" I asked. "When did you get here?"

"Vincent told me to pick them up too." Cid grumbled. "Vincent's inside." He said gesturing behind him.

"Okay." How fast could this thing go? "Uh… Tifa. Could you take Cloud while I move this thing?" I asked getting off the bike. He grumbled and looked like he wanted to stay where he was, but I couldn't just let him stay on the bike. He needed to lie down if anything. "C'mon Cloud. You need to get up." I said picking him up once again. I walked over taking as even steps as I could and handed him to her. "You got him?"

She nodded, but she didn't hold onto him. She put his arm around her neck so she could support him while he walked instead. I watched for a minute, making sure he could stay stable. When I saw that he could stay on his feet, I strode back to the bike and started it. I wasn't so sure about leaving him alone, not that I distrusted Tifa or anything, but I was afraid to leave him.

I went around and pulled Fenrir in once Tifa got Cloud inside. With that finished, I headed back as quickly as I could. I just had to get back to him. He couldn't have gotten an illness like that in the two hours or so in which he was alone with them. I couldn't help but think that they had done something, but what could they have possibly done? This certainly was a dilemma.

"What do the symptoms of nausea and shaking connect to?" I thought out loud.

"It could be reflux nephropathy."

"Huh?!"I looked up quickly. It was Vincent. "But how could he have contracted it so quickly?" I asked.

"I don't know, but most of the symptoms fit." He shook his head. "You're talking about Cloud, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" I answered trailing off. "Did he show any symptoms earlier that I was blind to?" I thought out loud again. There was a slight chance I may have missed something, even though I had been staring at him a lot today. Mostly I was think about something else while doing so. But that wasn't something I could help. I really wanted him to share my feelings. I wanted to be able to hold him without scaring him. I wanted him to permit me that kiss I'd been longing for. I wanted him to gaze up at me, longing for affection. I desperately wanted him. But! I'd only act on his permission.

"Zack?" Vincent said for what I assumed was the tenth time.

"Huh?!"

"I said he wasn't sick earlier."

Really? That made me feel better, but it didn't help with the mystery. It was really leaning towards the assumption that they had done something. But what could they have done in this one hectic day? I was looking so forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow meant new problems would arise and I could put today at the back of my mind.

--

I followed Vincent inside and down a hall. I couldn't believe it when we got there. He led me to the bridge! The bridge?! I wanted to see Cloud. I didn't see him anywhere and Tifa had just come in from a separate door. That made me anxious. I couldn't help it. She'd left him alone! "Stop being childish." I murmured to myself. Tifa wasn't an idiot. And she cared about Cloud. She wouldn't leave him alone without knowing he'd be okay. Not to mention Vincent probably had a reason to bring me here first. This was probably important. Of course this was probably the part where I'd fill Cid in on everything that had happened. This of course meant I was probably going to get yelled at or something.

"What's goin' on here?" Cid asked.

Of course!

I looked to Vincent. He looked the same as usual. "… Zack." He said casually.

I was hesitant to start. I knew this was going to give everyone a bad opinion of me. But I guess it was my own fault. If only I had been more careful with that damn mirror!

"Zack." It was Tifa this time. I looked over at her. My fear was obviously showing on my face because she looked at me with a warm smile. Which, I guess there was really nothing to be afraid of. It could've happened to anyone. Well… Anyone in the lifestream with a short attention span and a frustration problem. I guess I was an idiot after all.

I looked back at Cid, sighed, and scratched the back of my head. "I… uh… I… this is all my fault really. You see, I did _something_ and now Cloud is… a little out of it. Technically I accidentally messed with him somehow and now he's sixteen."

"What?!" The blonde man asked. He looked more confused than anything. "How do you accidentally mess with something like that?!"

I stared at the floor and shrunk back a little. "I'm… not allowed to say."

"Where the hell did you come from anyhow?!" Cid growled. I knew he was wondering whether or not I could be trusted. I did come out of nowhere, so I couldn't really blame him.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?" I asked. That did nothing but make him scowl. "Okay. Truthfully. Very truthfully, I came from the lifestream." I stopped to see the look of confusion return. "I'm… supposed to be dead." I continued. He didn't really respond to that one. "And on top of that, Sephiroth has come back as well."

"WHAT?!"

"Andhe'safterCloud." I said really fast. "That's about all you need to know." I finished bolting through the door in which Tifa had come through. I didn't know what it was, but that man terrified me. He was so angry. Or at least easily prone to anger.

But I'd be fine. I just had to find where Cloud was and I'd be fine. The little blonde could always calm me down. But maybe this would be an exception. He _was_ sick and it was worrying me. We'd see once I found him.

Now I was confronted with yet another long hallway and many, many doors. It might take me longer than expected.

--

**(A/N)** So there it is. Cloud will get better soon, don't worry. Oh! And please review!


	6. Cloud 3

**(A/N)** Sorry this took so long coming out. But my grades were horrible; it was the holiday season and all that jazz. I'm also really sorry that you all waited this long and it's not a completely new chapter. I'll try to be faster next time. Please don't lose faith in me.

--

I listened to the sound of heavy army boots clunking against the floor as he walked down the aisle. The footsteps outside paused. Loz kept on walking to the front most pew… well the front most pew still in tact. He whirled around a bit too fast, making my stomach wrench, and proceeded to place me down on it. The cool wood against my back felt so good I wasn't even paying attention when he took out a syringe and removed the cap. I did, however, see him reveal the second one!

I opened my mouth to shout to whoever was outside, but no sooner had I done that, he covered it with his gloved palm. I looked nothing but confused. What was he planning on doing with those? I watched him look both the needles over and selected one. Sadly, the one that scared me more. I didn't find the other much better, but the fluid in that one looked less threatening. The stuff in the one he picked was vibrant and yellow, practically orange.

"This wasn't my idea, Nii San." He said apologetically. "I mean… you're already sick… that should be enough. But he told me to."

Nii San? This guy had to be at least twenty!

When I saw the sharp needle begin to move my mind was screaming to thrash, kick, anything! But whenever I tried there was a pain in my stomach and I couldn't move. I did the only thing I could, which was pout behind his hand. He hesitated, but didn't stop. That made me kinda downhearted. Whoever the guy was pulling the strings must really hate me. Needles were not one of my favorite things. I couldn't think much more about it before he grabbed my arm and held it to my side.

"Make a fist." He said after a moment.

I shook my head. I wasn't going to let him do this.

I was briefly distracted when the footsteps outside started again. I looked away and he took the opportunity to curl my fingers into a fist and drive the needle into the vein. I winced from the small sting of the needle, but it was over before I could even comprehend what was going into my body. He took the needle out and tossed it away. I looked confused again. What was that supposed to do? I didn't feel any different.

He removed his hand and looked up. "Hello." I heard him say before I stopped paying attention. What had he done to me? I didn't care who he was talking to at the moment, I just wanted to know what that was supposed to do to me. I was starting to feel something… or was that just the nausea acting up again? Whatever it was, it was going past annoying. I felt something rising up in my throat, but I held it in as best I could. I did okay with that for a few minutes until there was a sharp pain in my stomach and I couldn't help but let it out.

"Auugh…!"

The voices in the background ceased among other sounds. The only noise left was Loz fumbling. He kept on looking back to the other person in the room and then to me. I covered my face with my hands to avoid his stare. I hated people staring at me so much. I only peeked when I heard a thud next to me.

"You have to be quiet." He whispered. "You're not crying again, are you?" He asked taking my hands off my face. I had to say I was a little happy I wasn't. However, I must've looked upset because he started stroking my hair like Zack always did. I felt the embarrassment coming back to me. "Just go to sleep." I watched him look up and glare, but I didn't care who he was glaring at. I ignored his suggestion… or order and thought. All of his actions a moment ago just made me think of Zack. The black haired man certainly was handsome and he would probably make some lucky girl very happy. I mean, what's not to like about him? He was certainly friendly and comforting. You could read his emotions well. I was lucky to have him as a friend… or think of him as a friend. He saved me after all and again today!

"Let's go."

Huh?! Somewhere along the line someone had picked me up, put me on my feet, and started dragging me out the door. I was just so confused. I forced myself to look up and saw a gloved hand on my arm. My eyes shot up and down to see black clothes, lightly tanned skin, and a head full of black spikes. Zack!!! I was so happy I didn't notice the twinge inside of me. I was too late to notice and ended up falling to my knees. I had to guess Zack didn't notice either because he kept on dragging me through the dirt for a few more steps. I was so relieved when he stopped and released my arm.

I felt something coming up, instantly I tried my best to keep it down. That was always so hard, nearly impossible! But I didn't want to puke in front of Zack! With Loz, I simply didn't want to show any weakness. I just didn't want to be gross in front of Zack. I couldn't understand it though. I got sick a lot from all this traveling around in trucks and other vehicles army based, but it's never gotten so bad that I had to puke. This was strange. But no matter what I wasn't going to give up that easily. I clutched my stomach, desperate to keep the contents inside. I groaned a big long groan and it soon became too painful to keep it down. I shut my eyes tight and let it out.

I opened one eye when it was finished. Zack was staring at me again. Was he staring while I was puking?! Oh Gaia why?! Did he understand why I did it? I don't think he knew I had motion sickness. I looked back at him for what seemed like a while. He didn't look grossed out. I guess that was good. He actually looked relieved. Relieved that I puked?! Oh well. If he was relieved it must be a good thing. He had looked tense for the longest time.

Before I could even wipe the excess _stuff_ off my mouth, he walked over and I was picked up again. When he did so, it was all too fast for my stomach to stay comfortable. It churned at the movement and made me feel like I was going to barf again. I did my best to get the stuff off of my mouth but I didn't really have anything to wipe it off with. It was gross, but it was only a little drizzle and I could always wash my glove later. Taking that into account, I rubbed my hand against it and didn't look at it after. Seeing it would just make me do it again.

My stomach lurched and I failed to stop the little whining noise from escaping my mouth. I looked up at Zack to see if he heard. It didn't look like he had. But I could be wrong. His hearing was much better than mine. If anything, he was just being nice and pretending to ignore it. Whatever he was doing, he kept on staring off into space. What was he thinking about I wonder.

I whined again without noticing, my stomach gave another loud protest and I realized now that he was running. Oh no. There was more pain coming from my midsection and I felt the effects of holding the contents in again; even though I'd been doing it unconsciously. Shutting my eyes tight, I couldn't even bring myself to talk. I was afraid I'd simply scream if I opened my mouth. But I had to force it out. I wasn't going to puke on Zack!

I shut my eyes tightly and took a breath.

"Zack…" I said weakly.

I felt him slow down until he eventually stopped. It didn't really help much, but it was a kind gesture. I opened my eyes to see him staring yet again. What was with him and staring at me? I didn't want to be stared at. I wanted to be let down! His face took a look of puzzlement for a moment, then took on an 'oh my gosh!' look. I stared directly back into his eyes as he put me down as slowly as he possibly could.

Once he let me down, I laid there in a daze as I realized my body heat must've been rising because the cool ground felt as good as the wood had. As uncomfortable as the ground was, I rolled over onto my side in an attempt to ba a little more comfortable. Just as I did that, I coughed up my stomach's contents once again. I think… this time it was better though. I didn't feel sick afterwards! I felt lightheaded, but I didn't feel miserable. I wanted to look over and tell Zack but as soon as I looked up, I felt like I was going to pass out. I guess I moved too fast too soon.

That was a normal symptom of mine. What was going on?

I slowly curled up trying to make the feeling go away. Once it receded I lifted myself up as much as I could with only my hands. I looked up at Zack completely miserable again. I didn't feel nauseous, but I didn't like feeling so weak. I was already a meek, clumsy little nothing, but if anything being sick like this was amplifying it so I was about twice as bad as usual! Zack didn't see me though. He was staring at something else. For once! First time for everything I guess.

I tried to sit up on my knees but, like everything else, it didn't work out. I fell forward back onto my hands. I looked at Zack again, he still wasn't looking. I wanted to know what he was thinking, what was he staring at? "Zack?" I asked. "What are you staring at?"

I was a little sorry I asked. As soon as I did, he turned his stare onto me again. Probably just observing my… condition or something, but I'd still like it better if he talked to me while staring. I didn't like people gaping at me. Too many weird experiences with people doing that. First that guy when I was a kid… huh… then about a handful of cadets I knew, some infantrymen, even guys in SOLDIER! Of course I never thought much of it because they stared at others as well. But it didn't change the fact that I didn't like the creepy crawly feeling it gave me.

I didn't say anything else. I just waited for him to respond. I was getting a little shaky, but I wasn't going to let myself fall. Wow. I'd been saying that a lot today. I was simply determined not to show any more weakness. Not today at least. Tomorrow I'd allow myself a few blunders, but today there were too many. For now, I'd just watch him straight back… even though he was being creepy. Really creepy. Did I just see his lips twitch almost into a smirk?

"Um…"

What? Need time to think after daydreaming for so long?

"… You see that cliff?" He asked.

I looked to my right. There was a cliff with something lodged into it. Looking back, I nodded. "We have to go up there and get that sword." Okay. Didn't I see a different man with that guillotine sword? I was certain. I'd seen that exact blade in the hands of a first class SOLDIER with _slicked back_ black hair. What on earth was it doing _there?_

"Okay… Doesn't that belong to another First?" I asked. I was so confused, but I think I succeeded in not letting it show. To be honest, I was sick of the confused feeling. It was becoming way too familiar.

There he went. Zack staring off into space, yet again. What was he always thinking about? He didn't even answer my question. It was like I had never even spoken. He was so spacey. Wait. What'd he just do? …Why was he shaking his head? I got the feeling that I'd missed something. Like I was out of the loop on a big joke. I bit my lower lip nervously. Something about this moment just seemed awkward. My eyes followed him as he walked towards me. My limbs trembled a little more violently once I caught sight of his own blue eyes. They were the windows to his very soul. The only soul on this planet that I ever felt truly safe with. But that was something I just couldn't tell him. I mean I was a boy and he was… a man. It'd probably be awkward for him, and I didn't want him to find me queer. Even though I denied it, I felt a red blush burning on my cheeks. Fortunately, I don't think he noticed with my face already being flushed.

Something of a squeak rose up from my throat when Zack wrapped his arms around me. The squeak was combined with an irk with my body realizing that it was being lifted up into the air again. I didn't like the rush in my head or appreciate being turned around onto my back. I felt the sickness coming back, but only for a moment. I didn't want to be carried. I was tired of playing the part of the damsel in distress; I wanted to walk with him. My legs felt fine now, I could walk. Another noise escaped my lips which made him look down at me with an angry father look. Or what I could assume was one. I wouldn't know, I didn't have a scolding father, I didn't have a father.

Pouting, as the proper response to such a look, didn't get any reaction out of him. He must be harder to break than Loz… that wasn't much of a surprise. Loz was a dimwit to put it bluntly. Zack was a bit absent minded, but not stupid. I should've known he wouldn't fall for that. He must not believe that I could walk on my own… I guess I shouldn't take it for granted. It must be one of those times like when you're a child with the flu. You think you're okay and yet your mother won't let you out of bed and you are soooo **bored! **So is Zack playing that part of my mother, or my father at this point? Was there a way to tell? Did mothers and fathers act differently in this kind of situation? I wish I knew. Maybe I could ask Zack about his parents and he could tell me if a mother and father acted different from one another.

"Z…" I started and stopped. He wasn't paying attention. It was near impossible for me to talk to this man. Maybe I shouldn't even try! I think the only semi-conversation I'd had with him was over the phone. Perhaps that was how I was going to have to talk to him from now on. Through texting or something. Perhaps I should try it right now. I tried but no. Darn. Zack had such a tight grip on me that I couldn't move my arms to reach my phone in my pocket. He was paying absolutely no attention to the world around him.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. We were at least heading directly toward that sword. Why did he need _that_ _sword?_ Who was this guy and why was he out to get _me?! _I couldn't think of anything or anyone. I knew I'd been obsessing about this, but who wouldn't be? None of this seemed really real.

Maybe it wasn't.

Maybe this was all a test. I wouldn't understand why they'd bother testing cadets this way. I guess it could be a survival thing or just something to see how I'd act in this situation. That must be it! Perhaps I'd get some points back for figuring it out because I was sure I was failing right now. I had to be saved by Zack about twice now and that was at the very least. Now Zack wouldn't trust me to even walk on my own anymore. I wonder if I had any chance of passing anymore. Maybe I'd already failed beyond hope. That would explain why things were so calm right now. This being a test would also explain why no one had come after us for deserting by now.

Or Zack actually had clearance to be… wherever we were and was just dragging me along. I wouldn't mind that. I guess I wouldn't mind it if he would tell me. No wait. That wouldn't make sense. Then who would I have made so angry? The way Zack was so afraid, the way **everyone** was so afraid of this guy. They made it sound as though he was as powerful as the great general Sephiroth. There was NO one out there as strong as him. So who else could everyone be so afraid of? Not that the general was ever a man to fear. Given he was very intimidating in stature and appearance, but he really was kind and from what I heard a good friend to have. No one ever complained about him. I wonder what Zack thought of him. Perhaps that'd be something else I could talk to him about. Some small talk. If I ever got the chance to talk to him. I guess at this rate I should consider texting him about it. Of course I didn't have unlimited texting so either he was going to have to start talking to me or I would have to run up my phone bill. My mother would kill me if I lost all the money she sent me texting one of my… friends? That was specifically what she told me **not** to do. She said only text in case of an emergency or something along those lines. To be honest I don't think she understood cell phones yet. If it's a big emergency, unless you have plenty of practice, you don't really have the time to text.

I shuffled around a bit to try and get more comfortable. I don't think he was aware of it, but his grip was tightening on me every two minutes or so. What was he thinking about?! I looked up at him from my still uncomfortable position in his arms to see his face riddled with concentration. Was he remembering something? I swallowed hard hoping it wasn't… _**that**__._ I didn't want him to remember such a weak moment. I guess I did put up a better fight back then than I was now. Of course all of those guys weren't intimidating SOLDIERs! How would I ever stand a chance against these guys? I wasn't completely sure they actually _were_ SOLDIERs, but they definitely weren't human.

"Ugh!"

Huh?! He made a sound. Was he conscious at last? I was about ready to speak but my stomach came back to life and remembered it was in a horrible state. I felt like puking again and I just couldn't bring myself to whine anymore. It all came on so suddenly and rose up my throat faster than any other. I sealed my lips and kicked to try and let myself fall. Zack just squeezed me tighter. No! I kicked again but harder and twisted around in his arms until I felt myself on solid ground.

I finished puking and rolled over onto my side once again. Naturally, my back was facing it. I didn't want to see that stuff. My throat really burned and my mouth was filthy. Just thinking about it made me feel gross. Not only that. But I was feeling absolutely exhausted. I had no idea where this had come from but this was ten times worse than my motion sickness. I had no energy left. I was fine a minute ago but now I felt like I couldn't even get up. I wanted Zack to hold me again. I couldn't understand why, but I wanted to be held. I was being so bipolar about this. But that didn't change how I felt at the time. Please, Zack, please. I know I'm gross but please. Lull me to sleep again. I don't want to feel this pain. At this point I'd welcome a coma!

I tensed up when I heard footsteps. Was he really going to do it? I looked over as far as I could without straining myself and watched his boots carry him closer and closer to me. I waited in anticipation for the embrace. The feeling of safety. Right now, I wanted it more than anything. I wanted him to tell me it was okay and calm my very soul. I wanted to be numb.

"Can I borrow your kerchief?" He asked.

What?!

I couldn't believe it. He wasn't going to help me at all. He wanted… my kerchief? C'mon Zack. You didn't freak me out _that_ bad last time. This time I want you to! Please!

The feeling of confusion and disappointment washed over my face as the words left his lips. He only took on a look of confusion back. Did he think I was afraid of him? Well… maybe I was. But I think it was just intimidation. I mean he was a SOLDIER! But I think he's my friend. Why wouldn't he be? I wasn't important and yet he was saving me all the time. That's what friends did for each other, right? I'd assume so. I didn't have much to go on, but it was certainly a stereotypical… best frienditude? … Yeah… that he was displaying. At least I hope that's what it was and he wasn't just like all the other friendly guys. However, if that were the case, I'm sure he'd have let something slip by now. And he wasn't like the others. I was sure he'd never do anything to hurt me.

I blinked a few times and shook the thought off. Unfortunately the slight movement caused my nausea to act up once again. I cupped a hand to my mouth to hold in anything that may come up and nodded.

"Thanks." He smiled.

I couldn't help but smile back weakly. His smile was contagious. He had a way of taking all of the darkness out of a grim situation. I took my hand off of my mouth so he could take the kerchief from around my neck. I saw him cover the lower half of his face with it before my head got heavy and I tore my eyes away from the scene.

--

What was going on? Loz, what did you do to me?! There's no way this is my motion sickness anymore. I rarely ever got this sick from it; and when I did, I never puked more than once. But now I felt as though I were going to –

Too late.

I just puked again. Crap!

I couldn't go on like this. I was causing Zack so much trouble. It's way too late to feel regret now, but I had to stop being helpless and start helping out with this mess. I was sure I could do something once this illness subsides. I mean, I probably couldn't do much but I could provide for a great distraction. Maybe throw in a few surprise attacks. Heck! If I could get my hands on a gun, even just a pistol, I could help with improving our current position of retreat. Taking the offensive was already out of our reach. We were too outnumbered. But if we could move up to defense and gain a standing position we might just be able to turn this around and run when they stumble. After all, the defense had an advantage in most cases. Defending a position was much easier than trying to take it.

At least that's what they always said in class.

"Damn!"

Huh?! What was that? Did Zack just lash out and swear?! That could only mean one thing.

We were screwed.

Wait… what was he leaning on? He didn't seem to notice, but he was leaning against a motorcycle. I watched him raise his fist and bring it back down hard against the shining metal. The contact made a hollow, metallic sound. That definitely brought him out of dreamland.

I heard him mumble something with a shocked look on his face and let it go from there. I went back to my own thoughts and tried to reanalyze our situation. I didn't get very far. The recap was interrupted by my realization that my nausea had subsided. Something was lingering but it wasn't as unbearable as before. However, it was replaced with a feeling of exhaustion, probably because I'd lost everything I'd eaten all day and my body was now running off of nothing. Not to mention the after effects of puking even once. And even though I refused to look at it I knew the last few times it had been nothing but bile.

I really, desperately wanted to take a bath, I'd even settle for a three minute shower back at the barracks. The only thing I really wanted right now was a bathroom. Then I could wash up and brush my teeth. Oh Gaia, I wanted to get this crap out of my mouth! The muck coating my teeth was currently torturing my tongue so much that it was cowering in the back of my throat.

"Cloud." I looked up and stared. "I'm sorry, but we have to go."

Yet again arms wrapped around me and lifted me up off the ground. My nausea came back for a slight moment from the pressure and being spun around onto my back. I groaned from the discomfort, but thankfully it soon vanished again and it didn't show any signs of coming back. I didn't mind it though. He held me close to him for the briefest moment. I nuzzled against his shirt and took in the aroma of the cotton fibers of his shirt, the metallic residue most likely from his sword, and a misty mountain cologne I'd smelled somewhere before. I only caught myself in realizing what I was doing when my eyes almost rolled into the back of my head. That was not okay! I don't know why I even did that.

I thought about pulling away from him and demanding not to be carried anymore but I didn't have to. He brought me away from his chest and I felt myself being set down on the leather seat of the motorcycle. The feeling of it was very comfortable and somewhat familiar. But I was certain I'd never seen this bike before.

Sadly, the comfort didn't last. Zack was trying to fit himself on the bike behind me. I soon found myself awkwardly hunched over with him leaning over me to start the bike. I didn't want to lean forward that much…

Maybe I could make this work.

It wasn't that bad. I mean. Zack wasn't a pervert and my stomach was feeling more or less better.

I simply adjusted myself and soon felt as though I could fall asleep right in that spot. I didn't even notice when the bike started. It was going at a slow speed and, if anything, that made me feel even drowsier. My eyelids felt heavy. Oh so heavy. But whenever I closed them, my mind would not shut down. I tried to grasp the tiny threads dancing in front of me through the dark. The few loose threads hanging from the veil of the maiden of the night. Maybe if I caught them _she_ would let me sleep.

I ran after her, blindly, through the dark. I went as fast as my legs could carry me, even that wasn't fast enough. She was always ten steps ahead of me.

"I'm apologizing in advance for this." I heard Zack say. His voice drew me out of my in between. My mind and my eyes were made light when the bike accelerated until I felt myself sliding back into Zack.

I looked ahead, blinking a few times, and noticed something coming. Some dust rising. Glancing toward Zack, I saw he wasn't paying attention again. "Look out!" I shouted to make him look forward as well.

As soon as he did, the irritation to my eyes from the speed became too much and I shut them as tight as I could. It was such a relief. They had been so dry without me even noticing.

But the irritation only continued. Not in my eyes, but in my head. Once I closed my lids, all I saw was Zack. He was just… smiling. The same old smile with the same old bright eyes. Eyes infused with mako energy. If anything, that made me stare at them even longer. I'd only stare at this image that was haunting me however, never at the real one of course. Sure he stared at me, but it was probably just for observations. If I stared at him for absolutely no reason, I'd just be weird. He, most likely, thought I was weird enough already. I didn't even understand why I was acting this way, why should he? I mean, what was that that I'd done with my eyes just now anyway? Nothing made sense anymore!

Why was I such an idiot?!

It was bad enough that I was a clumsy little failure back at the barracks! Now I finally got out in the field and I had to be saved all the time! And by Zack! I owed him so much. I wonder what he was going to ask me to do to pay him back. I felt so bad I'd do just about… anything.

"Ah." I gasped. Everything suddenly got cold and my body lost it and I started to shiver. I told myself to stop over and over in my head, but I had **no** control over myself!

I could feel Zack tense up and say something in a low growl. He must've been pissed.

There was a crash… and then… nothing.

--

I woke up to Loz patting me on the head. I glanced up to see Zack and Yazoo glaring at each other. The situation hadn't changed. That must've meant I was out for all of a second before waking up again.

Looking back at Loz, I saw that he was trying to say something. I couldn't hear it over the roar of the motor and I made that clear. He nodded and slipped something into Zack's pocket, then patted my head again. I didn't respond. Instead I closed my eyes and tried to control the shaking and spasm my body was dealing out.

Zack tensed up again, and then I heard Loz shift and move away.

I could feel fingers in my hair, but on the other side. The digits wrapped around into a firmly held fist and stayed like that for a moment. Next thing I knew they yanked on my hair until the whole clump almost came out. Obviously, I cried out in surprise.

I tried to pull away, and in doing so, if I had to guess, I pressed a button. The button activated some sort of mechanism and then there was silence. Silence until I pressed the same button again of course. My ears picked up on the mechanism again and then it all went completely silent.

--

There was an hour or so of peace. The time allowed me to think a little. As usual, the thinking was useless. I kept on trying to make sense of everything and nothing came to me. I hated the feeling.

/VRRRR!!!/

I felt my phone go off in my pocket and was immediately confused. Why was _my phone_ going off? As far as I knew, it had been destroyed and left in the back alley. The confusion wasn't good. All of this was making me feel drowsy. My body was still shaking uncontrollably. That wasn't helping my exhaustion at all.

Zack leaned down and whispered something in my ear. I sort of grunted to acknowledge him. But that was the full extent of it. Truthfully, I didn't understand what he said.

"Cloud, could you get your phone please?"

I understood him that time and I really didn't want to try and get my phone.

Reluctantly, I nodded and began the attempt to get my cell phone. It was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be at first. First my arm wouldn't cooperate, then I couldn't get my hand through my shirt to reach my front pocket, then because of my hunched over position I couldn't get my hand to grip the phone. To top it all off, once I got the phone, I couldn't quite get it out of my pocket! Once I finally had it, I thought about just tossing the damn thing. It'd gone off about four times already. I was actually surprised that the caller was still trying. I was curious as to who was trying to call me, but I wasn't so curious that I would try and answer it.

I weakly handed it back to him with a shaky hand. He took it from me, let it ring one more time, and then answered it. There was an exchange of words, Zack barely spoke and the other person sounded loud and angry.

After the conversation over the phone Zack returned the phone to my pocket. He downed the speed quite a bit and we rode in silence for a while. It was only interrupted by my needing to stop and vomit. It was a lot better than before though. There was hardly anything at all and I didn't feel as bad after. Zack seemed really worried about it all, as usual. But I was more worried about my rapidly changing body temperature. Of course the vomiting didn't help. But I think I was improving.

Soon after that I found myself staring into the eyes of the same maiden as before. Only this time, she wasn't tormenting me, she just smiled and took me in her arms. Finally, I could sleep.

--

"Think we should get closer, Cloud?"

"Eh!" I almost screamed because of the unexpected noise. I was almost disappointed. It felt as though I had been dreaming about something important. Something very important. It was almost like it was another me… but older. He just talked, but whatever he said was gone once I woke up.

"Sorry…" He said once he noticed he'd torn me out a sleep I'd been dying to have.

I shook it off and tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't get rid of all the talking in the background. And then the bike practically screeched to a halt. Admittedly, I was grouchy. This didn't usually happen, but I wanted to know what the man in my dream had said. I scraped every last accessible recess of my memory to remember something. But nothing came to me. I guess the best thing to do was forget about it for now. Maybe it would happen again. That was all I could hope for.

"Uh… Tifa. Could you take Cloud while I move this thing?" I heard Zack ask. When did Tifa show up and why did I have to go with her? I was trying to sleep. This was so annoying.

"Why can't I stay with you?" I murmured. I also made it perfectly clear that I didn't want to move from that spot. It was bratty, I know, but I really didn't feel like moving. Much less walking. I was too tired.

"C'mon Cloud. You need to get up." Zack said in the care free way of his. I was fine with that, but then he picked me up again and walked over towards some odd aircraft. I didn't like it this time. It felt too much like he was forcing me to do something I didn't want to. "You got him?" He asked Tifa as he handed me over. I rolled my eyes once he wasn't looking. The very last thing I wanted to do happened. She made me walk. I really wanted to just sit, but there'd be plenty of time for that once I got to wherever she would take me. So, knowing Zack was staring at my back, I walked as best I could.

Once we were inside I only focused on one thing, the fever that had replaced the chill and the shakes. Of all the things that could have come back… I guess I was glad it was that one. It didn't change how miserable I was, but I could live with that better than the puking. At least it didn't feel like it was going to come back. Of course I thought that before and had been proven wrong I think twice.

She led me through a long hallway with about twelve doors on the left side. Looking out the window, I could tell that this was one side of the ship. Once we passed around six doors, there was another hallway with more doors. She turned and kept on walking through that, but I didn't see which door we finally stopped at. I think it was the last one because of the light shining in the corner of my right eye. That must've been the windows on the other side of the ship.

She opened the door to reveal, oddly, a bedroom. I didn't think this thing was meant for passengers. The room was a complete, yet ordinary, room with a closet and a bathroom connecting to it. The walls were white and only one bed. She let me down to sit on the bed and walked into the bathroom. She returned shortly with new bandages. She removed the makeshift one on my upper arm that Loz put there, rolled up my sleeve all the way up to my shoulder, and replaced it with a real one. She then proceeded to take off the older bandage on the bite wound. It had still bled quite a bit after the last time. I must've agitated the injury. She didn't seem to care though. She cleaned it again with a wet cloth and then replaced the bandage.

"You look tired." She said feeling my forehead. "And you're burning up."

Yeah. And all of my energy was exiting through the sweat in my pores. Not to be sarcastic, but it was true. Once she took her hand from my forehead, I didn't even have the strength to hold it up anymore. For the next five minutes of awkward silence, I could do nothing but stare at the floor. Then I heard her rise and walk toward the door. Once she was gone, I still stayed where I was for a few moments more.

"Aw c'mon! You pathetic excuse for a soldier. Get a grip!" I told myself just trying to get my body to move. It sure worked whenever my superiors told me that, why wasn't it working now? "It's only a little flu. You can beat it. C'mon." I tried again. That did the trick. Finally I found a last reserve of energy that was just enough to get my boots off and scurry under the covers. "Yes!" I sighed. I was very satisfied with the bed and the comfort it provided. It was nice and warm under the covers, and the mattress was plenty soft. I wanted to sleep again, but I couldn't allow myself that just yet. Not that I didn't want to, but I was too curious and my thoughts were scrambled. It was just about everything that turned upside down. Too many things were shooting around for me to sleep, no matter how exhausted I was. I couldn't move from the spot I had put myself in. My limbs had shut themselves down. All I could do was lay there and attempt to organize my thoughts.

There was the matter of this hell my life had been launched into without my consent. It may be a test, it may not. I doubt my muscle-head superiors could come up with something like this. This _must_ be something put together by the SOLDIERS, maybe even the Turks! No. They'd never test **new** cadets like this. Certainly not me. I was too much the greenhorn. This **could not** be a test. I'd finally figured that out. Now all I had to do was figure out what I could've done to anyone so powerful to make them do this. I couldn't remember. To some I came off as arrogant, but that was never anything to make anyone this angry. There also was the fact that I knew who and who not to pick fights with. If there was anyone like this that I upset in any way, I would've apologized. At least I think I would've.

That mystery is impossible to figure out.

So what about Zack? Friend or what? Well for one, I was going to stop doubting whether he was my friend or not. He was. It didn't make sense, but he was. I'd already decided that. But what was the other feeling I got when he was around? It was like I got all jittery and stupid. I _actually_ acted like a freakin' damsel in distress! "No. Calm down." I had to tell myself that about ten times before I got it together. I mean, I only had today to go on. And today I was unarmed _**AND**_ I was wounded. That was enough to justify my actions to a point. The fact that I didn't even try bothered me. It was like I wanted to be saved. To see just how many times he'd come to the rescue. I didn't want to say I was testing him or anything, but maybe I was… subconsciously of course! It had to be subconscious. I wasn't aware of it… if I was doing it. I didn't want to say I was, but I could be. What if I was just a horrible person like that? Then again, I did say earlier that all of these guys I've been going against were way out of my league. And with the Guard Hounds, I didn't know he was going to show up. And…... I WAS A USELESS GREENHORN!!!

That settled it. I couldn't expect to be able to fight a whole pack of monsters like that. It was too much for an upstart like me. I was also the worst soldier my superiors had ever seen.

"Okay. Stop dumping on yourself. There's time to change." I said trying to be optimistic. A quality of mine that few of my peers had seen. I didn't mind that. Almost all of my peers were blockheads with raging hormones. They were also so desperate that some with girlfriends turned to same sex relationships in order to get some. However that worked.

…… How _did_ they do that?

Something told me I didn't want to know.

Did Zack do that?

Who cares?!

I wonder what it's like…

Stop doing that! Just stop thinking about that. Don't think like that. Don't even ask questions about stuff like that. Zack would think I was a freak. I guess there was a possibility that I could be gay. Maybe. I'd never been with a girl. I thought I liked Tifa back home, but I'd lost interest over the years. After that I didn't really like anyone. Girl or boy. Now all the sudden Zack's all I can really think about.

It couldn't be that! No. I wasn't gay. I wasn't anything at the moment.

"This is too confusing to even bother with." I sighed. "Zack's only a friend. That's all he'll ever be."

Now I just had to forget about that and never think about it again. But what I could try to focus on is that man from my dream.

He looked a lot like me. But he was older, stronger, taller, and so much cooler. Even his clothes were cooler than what I wore other than my uniform. Everything on him being black was kinda grim, but it still looked cool. That's really all I could remember, except the one thing that made it impossible to be me: His eyes had the same mako glow as Zack's eyes did.

I guess it could be an inner alter-ego. But I didn't have a history of anything like that. Where could it have come from?

"What did he say?" I wanted to know.

I scraped my mind again for an answer, but I turned up with nothing. Still, whatever he was saying, he looked worried.

--

**(A/N)** Please Review via button below!


	7. Zack 4

**(A/N)** Yay! A new update! Yeah right. But it's still here if anyone wants to read it. I think I updated faster than last time. And I've already started working on Cloud's perspective. That ought to be interesting.

--

Doors. There were so many doors. Too many doors. I felt like I was going to go insane. But mostly I was just acting on my fight or flight reflex and right now it was screaming for me to flee. Normally I wouldn't act like this but I was so terrified that they were going to come after me and succeed in killing me with words! Maybe even actions. And just knowing that Vincent had a gun on him was enough to make me sweat. It all just felt so eminent. I mean, the contempt in that room was so thick that I couldn't breathe. And by the time I got away, I actually _felt_ out of breath.

Maybe Cloud would share his.

As if! He was still confused if anything… but it made him so shy. I had a really big soft spot for the shy ones, and if everything went as planned, he'd realize his true feelings eventually. Then…! Uh…

Then he'll decide what we do!

"Yes." I said nodding. That was the plan.

With that in mind I began to walk down the hall. I could totally do this. There weren't _that_ many doors. I'd be able to find him in no time. No time at all. I was already at the first door. Yeah, this would be easy. There was no pressure. I couldn't hear anyone following me, so I had to guess no one was following me. So now all I had to do was search for Cloud. Sure it'd be easier to go back and ask Tifa where he was, but I didn't want to go back there and face Cid. I got the sense that he wanted to impale me with that spear of his. That wouldn't be pleasant.

Upon opening the first door, I discovered a bathroom. The cabinet door was coming off its hinges; the toilet looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in thirty years. I wasn't going to describe it any further than that. There was a broom in the corner and mold spores floating everywhere. It was disgusting. "How could anyone let anything get this bad?" I asked through clenched teeth before quickly shutting the door. Sadly that wasn't the end of it. Even though the door had been closed, the smell lingered. It felt as though it were stuck and would never go away, but once I got a few doors away from it, it was gone. "I doubt Tifa would put Cloud anywhere near that sanitary disaster." I gasped.

I stopped at the fourth door down the hall. That one was locked. I couldn't help but wonder why, so I peeked through the keyhole. I was actually a bit surprised that the door had a keyhole to look through. Not that it really mattered. I couldn't see much se for a bed with satin sheets. That was surprisingly something I didn't want to see. The thought of Cid doing the nasty was disgusting. He was just so… so old. Not too old, but still old. But! On the brighter side, maybe he'd let me and Cloud use it. That'd be nice. That'd be real nice. I could just feel the grin spreading. But it dispersed. Cloud wasn't impressed by things like that. However, he did have standards.

The grin returned while I thought back on it. The only thing he absolutely refused to do was have sex where there was the potential of being caught. He was so naïve he didn't realize that you could be caught anywhere really. Especially at or near the Shinra building. Then again he only became really strict about it when we _were_ almost caught.

Yes that standard stayed strong until I let him try sake for the first time. I had regretfully neglected to watch him close enough and he had a few too many. Next thing I knew we were doin' it in the lounge behind the vending machines, and we only stopped when Cloud accidently hit his head off the water-cooler. He was so smashed he practically insisted we continue. But I decided it had to end there. I mean that one knock to the head made a decent bump that nearly everyone noticed. Lesson learned. He was a light weight… And I felt bad the next morning… Not to mention we both regretted it because there were obvious markings all over our bodies.

What. A. Week.

The general was not impressed, even in the slightest, by my record number of hickeys. I assumed he was probably just sore over the loss of the cadet for himself. You wouldn't figure he'd be that way, but he really, really, reeeaaallly wanted Cloud. Who wouldn't? "An exaggeration of course." I said aloud. There were plenty of people who had no interest in him.

I walked to the fifth door. That one was a normal broom closet, and the sixth one was a weapons closet. It was positively full of razor sharp and pointy implements. It was almost frightening. Useful, but frightening. One had to wonder where he had gotten all of those and what he used them for. He had to use them; there were weapon maintenance kits all over the place. Some of them empty and some of them open. Or perhaps he just polished these things whenever he had the time like… like… like some old guy in love with his trophies. But I doubted that. Cid liked machinery and building things, not trinkets.

Or did he?

I felt terrible but I still couldn't be certain about this guy. I think I was getting him mixed up with someone else. That was always bad. No matter how you looked at it. And it never leads to anything good either. If anything it just makes things awkward.

Getting back to business, there was now a hallway between me and another set of doors. I went back to my nose to rely on this decision. The blonde's scent was faint when I was standing in the hallway, but completely vanished when I walked by it. He obviously hadn't been anywhere near _those_ doors. So I turned around and walked down the hall. There were only a few doors in this hallway, two on either side, with more space in between. This made everything obvious. Because of their size, they must've been bedrooms. That led me to wonder why there were bedrooms on the ship and if Cid was married. I thought he was at least in a relationship with someone. I just couldn't remember. Cloud didn't talk to this man about things like that. Most likely because Cid was straight and the two had nothing to talk about on that particular topic.

Speaking of which, Cloud wasn't in either of the first set of doors. Left or right, the rooms were empty. I strode down to the second door on the left. There was a long creek as I guess the hinges hadn't been used very much. I peered in and saw another door inside the room. It was open ajar and my eyes caught on a cabinet and a sink. It must've been a bathroom. But outside of the bathroom was a bedroom of ordinary size and appearance. The only extraordinary sight I saw was in the bed and it was Cloud!

I felt a jitter running up into my throat, but I stifled it. No matter how much I wanted to cheer and leap with joy, I wouldn't allow myself to. And that was only because I could see he was sleeping. I doubt I would've reacted as strongly as I wanted to even if he were awake… because he was awake. So, that being the circumstance, I jumped once while doing a sort of silent scream. But in a good way! I was just so happy that I'd found him. But now I had to be quiet and contain myself. He was finally asleep after all and he so desperately needed it. Well, more like he deserved it. He'd been woken up so many times and **kept** awake that this must've been heaven to him. I wondered what he was dreaming about. Hopefully something nice.

By the looks of him he wasn't having a nightmare. He looked rather peaceful and content, yet confused. I guess it wasn't so much confusion as it was concentration. Perhaps a bit of both. Gaia! He was cute! But so hesitant. And very conflicted. I could see it in his eyes.

I took a few light steps to get to the side of the bed. My heart stuttered when the boy stirred, but that was the end of it. He didn't wake up or even open his eyes for a second. I found myself feeling so relieved. I mean _I_ wouldn't even forgive me if I woke him up. And as I sighed to express my relief I simultaneously placed a hand on my hip. It was then that I realized I had something in my pocket. It felt like it was a cylindrical box.

"Wha…" I whispered lifting it out. "When did that get there?"

"Mmm……" The blonde murmured.

I instantly froze. Once I thought it was safe I cautiously looked over to Cloud to make sure he was still sleeping. It looked as though he stretched and then snuggled back down into the blankets. It was good that he wasn't exactly awake, but he could be in that place where even the slightest noise brings you out. So, wanting to be safe, I stayed quiet while I finished lifting the parcel out of my pocket. To my surprise, it was a syringe with some odd chemical inside.

With close examination I saw that there was a small scrap of paper inside the cap. I carefully removed the cap so as to keep the small pop from being heard and took out the paper. Then I slowly put the syringe on the nightstand. I then turned back to the paper and saw small words written. I doubt a normal person would've been able to decipher them they were so small. But I read:

_Sorry I messed up and confused the needles. I actually gave you the infection instead of the sedative. But I found the antidote and gave it to Zack. The symptoms should go away within hours after you take it. Sorry again and I hope there wasn't too much damage done. See you later, Nii San._

_~Loz_

I stared at the note for a while longer. It seemed a little too hard to believe and a bit too good to be true. I wanted to trust it, but only because I desperately wanted Cloud to get better. And now here was this miraculous cure provided by the enemy. I didn't even know if it was real or a set up. It might make him even worse off than he was now. And from what I could tell, he had a fever that was still spiking. I might've been able to believe it better if I knew what virus was injected into his blood, but I didn't. I could take a guess. But I could never be sure. Damn this was going to take forever! Do I trust it, or do I not? Was it really Loz who did this? Or was it a trick?! Yazoo could've easily written that note! **He** was the one I didn't trust. I doubt Loz would hurt Cloud in such a way, but Yazoo I just wasn't sure about. Of course they'd all do whatever Sephiroth told them to.

Should I wait until he wakes up and ask him what he thinks about this whole thing? But that could take days. I had no idea how long he'd be out. And this illness he had could prove fatal. What should I do? Was anyone going to help me make this decision or was it all up to me?! I hated having to make decisions! The situation was making me so nervous that I felt myself beginning to sweat.

"Mmm……!" I heard Cloud groan loudly.

He was sweating too! Probably that monstrous fever he had. "Huh?" Now he was shaking. That wasn't good. What did that mean? He had three symptoms of something very bad, what was it?! Why didn't I pay more attention in Health when I was a stupid kid?! ............ Because I was a stupid kid. But I guess I was paying for it now.

"Okay. Remain calm." I whispered about five times. The first thing to do was… uh… well he had a fever so were you supposed to cool them down or… I guess I should go with common sense on this one. So with that on my mind, I the tore the blankets off him. There was no negative reaction from that. Except more of the shakes, but I felt his forehead and he was still burning up. So he had a fever, chills, and vomiting. Put that all together and it could be anything at this point.

"Urgh…" The blonde went off again.

I heard him mumble something that sounded like pure nonsense. But I figured he was just being delusional from the fever. So I decided to take off his jacket. It was pretty hard considering I had to un-hook all of the belts and everything on his uniform. But once I finally got it off his undershirt almost came off with it he was so sticky. I was so worried. The whole while he was unresponsive. He shouldn't **be** unresponsive! He was never unresponsive, especially when someone was taking his clothes off! And then I saw it.

There was a rash spreading upward from his lower back and working its way around to his chest.

That was it. I sighed and let my forehead rest in his hair. I really had no choice but to trust the cure Loz had given me. It could be Meningococcal Meningitis. That meant that if I didn't do something, he'd be dead by tomorrow. I walked over to the nightstand and reached for the syringe. And with a long, long, long sigh, I took one last solemn look at the boy before I took the plunge. He looked so sad. His lips were dry; you could see the sweat beading on his face and pooling around him. His hair was matted and stuck to his face. He looked exhausted. And it just broke my heart to see him that way. I just swallowed hard, uncapped the syringe, and carefully injected the supposed "cure" into his bloodstream.

Then all I had to deal was that sinking feeling that I'd made a big mistake, but I got that whenever I had to make a big decision. It didn't matter if I'd made the right choice or not, I always got it.

"I wonder how fast it works." I muttered. It'd better work fast, whatever it was. Then again, Sephiroth **did** say he wasn't going to kill him. So I guess that meant that this cure could be real. Or at least it heightened the chances of it being real and not fabricated or a fluke. Of course I had to question whether or not he was telling the truth back then even! One would think that he'd find killing Cloud as the ultimate revenge. I couldn't remember how he thought and how warped it was now. He probably wouldn't kill him right away; he'd most likely torture him first. But I just wished he'd realize that _**this**_ _**particular**_ Cloud wouldn't know what he was paying for. I so wanted to sock him in the smug face. And believe me, if I could I would. But I couldn't… without losing use of my hand.

It was clear that I was putting all of my faith… in Loz.

I guess this would be the part of the show where anyone listening would suddenly fall over and all you see is their feet for some odd reason. Nonetheless, I liked watching those shows. However, that was beside the point. And the point was:

Loz is NOT a person to rest all of your hope on.

Everyone knew that.

--

I spent an hour or so in silence. Just waiting for a reaction, good or bad. But he made no improvement, nor did he get worse. He just stayed the same. I shook my head rather sorrowfully. I guess it was just false hope that they were serving. Was this how it was all supposed to end? Was I supposed to fail and let him die? I know I could always give him an antibiotic, but I was kinda hoping that this cure would work. And I couldn't risk interfering with it. This was all so stressful. I felt like I was aging by the minute.

What was going on? How harsh was the battle that his small body was fighting? I wanted to know! The better thing to do would be to relax rather than obsess, but this could be a matter of life and death.

"Zack?" Vincent asked walking in.

"Shhh." I practically hissed and gestured toward the sleeping blonde. The gunman looked and raised a brow. Probably wondering why Cloud was shirtless. I couldn't really help it, and it WASN'T because of my attraction to him! It was an attempt at cooling him off. I'd also rolled up his pant-legs to his knees, but he was under the sheets so that wasn't something he could see. What was really important though, was that the rash was now in plain sight. So now maybe Vincent could tell how serious this was. He did look surprised.

"Did you already start to treat it?" He asked.

"I think… I may have." I answered very unsure of myself.

"What do you mean you think?"

"I had a cure in my pocket for some reason."

"What?"

"Loz gave me a cure. And I used it." I said as confidently as I could.

"You're trusting Loz?"

"Well, when you say it that way it sounds bad."

"Zack." He sighed.

If it was one thing that Vincent was particularly good at, it was making me feel like an absolute idiot! He was making me feel like I just condemned Cloud to death. Which I may or may not have, but I liked to think that I didn't. After all, what point would there be to killing him? What would be the gain? He wouldn't gain anything from it, right?! He'd be alright! He'd DEFINITELY be alright! I'd made the right decision and Vincent wasn't going to make me feel anything otherwise.

At least I told myself that about seven times before I actually believed it. And once I did, it stayed for a few seconds and then got a bit iffy. But Vincent only caught on when I nervously scooched closer to Cloud. I desperately wanted to hold him. But something told me that he'd prefer not and probably a bath once he woke up. He'd tell me shower, but I knew he was a bath person. It was only after that thought that I realized I had been ignoring Vincent.

"Vincent, I know it sounds bad… but I gave it to him an hour ago and he hasn't gotten worse."

"That doesn't mean it's helping him either." He shot back.

"Not necessarily." I answered. "But it could help."

"There **is** no miracle cure for this." He growled. (It takes weeks but it is curable apparently.)

"But we're talking about Sephiroth! If anyone could find a cure for it, he could."

"But why would he?" Vincent asked.

"I dunno!" I practically yelled.

We both stopped when the blonde stirred. It actually looked more like a spasm. His arm even lashed out and almost backhanded me and the episode was accompanied by the typical groan. Whatever that was, I guess I should thank it. It sure shut Vincent up. He just stared at the blonde for a good long time. Probably waiting for something else to happen. But nothing did. He just had that one spaz attack and then it was back to him just lying there, sick as a dog.

"Why are you talking about Sephiroth so highly?" Vincent finally asked.

"What?" I couldn't believe he was even insinuating it. "I don't think highly of him. That was all over once he lost his sanity."

"So he's just the justification for your insanity?"

"No! I am not insane."

"What do you mean you're not insane? You're trusting Sephiroth." Vincent answered.

"I can do that with a clear conscience." I said getting up off the bed. "And you know why? Because of Loz. It sounds crazy, I know. But hear me out." Keeping sure to cut off Vincent. "Loz seems to care for Cloud. Greatly! I might add. And Loz is a part of Sephiroth, so that would mean Sephiroth still cares for him too, right?"

"You wouldn't figure." Vincent replied. He sounded a bit bitter. But I felt I had made a point. Not that it mattered. If Cloud died, then he was dead. There was no do over. It also meant that I was a complete failure as his guardian. Not that I was doing so hot at the moment. "Perhaps you aren't doing so bad." The gunman said as if he could read my mind.

"Wha…" I began to ask but found no need to after looking back at Cloud.

The rash was retreating! That had to be good. That meant he was getting better, right? He had to get better now!

"He's improving? He's improving! Vincent, he's improving!" I shouted feeling so light. But I settled quickly feeling embarrassed and stupid. I couldn't believe I'd just acted so childish in front of Vincent. I mean, sure, I was excited, but I liked to try and compose myself in front of the walking dead guy. It sounded harsh I know, but I was just calling them as I see them. And this guy had forgotten how to live. However, once I looked closely, I could clearly see the half smile he was wearing. Dare I say, it made him look slightly more human. I was glad he was happier for the moment, he deserved it after all the crap he'd been through. And then I almost killed his best friend. I wondered just how relieved he was.

"It's a bit too soon to tell." Vincent said feeling the blonde's forehead with a gloved hand. I didn't really see the point in that. How was he supposed to tell with gloves on? I was clueless as to how that would work. Wouldn't it be better if I did it? I thought so. So I walked over and offered.

"Perhaps I should do that?" I asked offering my hand.

"No need." He answered shaking his head. "He feels feverish even through the material."

"It's still that bad?!"

"Yes. But keep checking up on him. He may improve." He said walking towards the door.

"You're not going to stay?"

"No. I was only sent to ask you how he was." He answered while shutting the door behind him and not even looking back.

--

More time passed and I would check on Cloud every now and then. He had grown quiet and calm after that spasm. His fever had gone down a bit. If I had to guess, I'd say he was at ninety nine degrees Fahrenheit. That was still pretty high. But it was better than the near fatal number he had before. I suppose now he was in a more settled sleep rather than practically comatose. One had to wonder what this was all like for _him_. Whether he was going to have the luck of sleeping through all of this hell. Or was he feeling every symptom. It did sound like he'd tried to talk to me earlier… I wonder. Could he hear me? They say that a dreaming person can hear someone talking to them. Kunsel even did it to me a few times, or so he claimed. I kinda wanted to see if I could have a conversation with him while he slept. Just to see if he was one of those. But I also got the feeling that I shouldn't interrupt whatever he may be dreaming. And what would I even say? Nothing important. I was just too confused to even put my thoughts into a sentence. What would be the point? I really just wanted to apologize, but I could do that about eighty times _**when**_ he woke up.

I wasn't quite sure how long it had been since Vincent left the room. But he'd made the most progress in that time. Perhaps an hour or two. Hopefully he'd be all good in an hour. Then I could go to sleep. I had no idea why, but I had gotten really tired all of a sudden.

"I wonder if I'm back to my full potential yet." I thought out loud.

If I wasn't, I had to be close enough. Maybe getting some sleep would complete it. How was I supposed to know? Geez! Those ancients were being helpful! Friggin' dump me here without anything to go with but an objective! What else was I supposed to do?! Were they going to give me any guidelines?

"_Be patient…"_ I heard a very random voice say.

"What was that?" I asked Cloud as if he would answer. He groaned and twitched slightly. I stared for a few minutes before taking it as an 'I dunno'. Gaia he was cute! And I hated myself for thinking about that right now. But I was able to get my thoughts off of that and focus on that voice. I couldn't help but think it sounded like Angeal. It was possible I suppose, but not likely. He had better things to do than watch my progress and help me out… wait… no. He really didn't.

"Be patient?" That wasn't very helpful. Wait a minute, what?! I didn't say anything for him to answer to! "Can he hear my thoughts?" I asked the blonde. That won me yet another twitch. The twitches must mean either 'I dunno' or 'I can hear you but I can't answer'. Both were good enough responses on my part. What else could he do? I was just happy that he _was_ responsive. And while forgetting all about Angeal, I thought about going to the bridge and telling them about his progress. However, after much consideration, I realized that would be close to suicide. So I decided not to. If they wanted to know, they could send someone down here to find out. Preferably not Cid. He did nothing but terrify me.

"Eww…" I heard a small voice say. Wheeling around on my heels allowed me to see Cloud. His beautiful eyes were open and he was grimacing at his sweat covered body.

"Don't move." I said in fear that he would try and get up.

I moved towards the bed. And no sooner had I gotten there, his eyes had rolled into the back of his head and he fell back against the pillow. His eyes closed once I reached out to feel his forehead and then he was gone again. He'd passed out once I'd found that his temperature had gone back up to one hundred and two degrees Fahrenheit. That wasn't good. Dammit Sephiroth! What kinda cure was this?!

I guess it wasn't as bad as the one hundred and five he'd had before. Purely guessing of course. I suppose I could better analyze body temperature than a normal human, but I doubt I was accurate.

"I suppose I should try and cool him off." I sighed walking into the small bathroom. It was just like the bedroom, completely white. Even the washcloths were white. Kind of bland for my tastes. But I wasn't about to suggest any changes to Cid.

I searched around for a vessel for extra water. I came up dry in the cabinet. All I found in there was evidence that Tifa had changed his bandages. But that was obvious by just looking at him. So I looked in the pitiful excuse for a shower. There was a small tub that the bar of soap was sitting in. I put the soap aside for later and filled the tub with water. That should be enough. But I also wet down the cloth in the sink and left it completely saturated to better suit its purpose. I kinda wondered if I should wait for him to regain some sort of consciousness. I was only a little scared of the possibility that he woke up while I was cleaning him up. He'd definitely be scared by it. That was something I'd like to avoid. Perhaps if I asked him I'd feel better about it? He may give me a readable response. But I doubt I'd get that lucky. I suppose at some point I **did** have to stop being so cautious. Besides. It wasn't like I was doing this for pure pleasure. His body temperature was way up and he needed to be cooled down. Otherwise it could be hazardous.

Keeping that in mind I walked back to the bed and placed the small tub on the nightstand. As I did, I made a quick observation to reassure myself that he'd be okay. A quick look showed me he was still breathing, the rash had completely gone and had not returned, but the fever remained. And for the sake of procedure I checked his pulse. I took a slightly firm grip on his wrist and counted. The rate was normal by my standards and then for some odd reason it went up. It wasn't a life threatening rate so I just released his wrist. In fact, it was about the same rate I had when I first met Sephiroth. I glanced at his face to see a red blush spreading across it. Geez. If I didn't know any better I'd think he was… he couldn't be. It had to be the fever. Cloud just… wasn't like that. At least he shouldn't be right now.

"It's gotta be the fever." I mumbled while wringing the cold water out of the cloth. Every drop splashed across his bare chest. Unable to tear my eyes from his face I saw his expression change from great discomfort to extremely relieved. That was good. But I paused to fend off any thoughts of mischief. _That_ wasn't **my** territory. That was Sephiroth's. Man! This was so unfair! I was not used to treating Cloud this way. I could've felt him up or something and he wouldn't care. But this?! I had to give myself a slap on the wrist for even the slightest urge! Every time I had to tell myself, 'What are you doing? You're stronger than this!', and it got harder and harder to ignore it every time. And it'd only been a few hours since I'd been around him! Not even a day and I already had to avoid forcefulness about forty times!

I almost built up a sweat when I heard an odd noise outside. Half expecting it to be someone and then feeling odd when no one entered the room, I got up and walked to the door. I detected no presence outside the room. So maybe it was Vincent. I placed a hand on the doorknob, sighed, hoped it wasn't Vincent, and then opened the door expecting to see the living dead before me.

But there was no one.

I looked around and even stepped out into the hall just to be safe. But there was no Vincent, no Cid (thank Gaia), and no Tifa. It was the weirdest thing. But that didn't change the fact that there was nothing. Not even anything left outside the door.

"Eh?!" I gasped turning around.

Something had tickled the back of my neck. I looked out towards the window until I almost strained my eyes. I could've sworn there was a form there a moment ago. It was like someone was just looking and then quickly got out of the way as I turned around. My gaze turned toward the floor and narrowed into a glare. What kind of sick joke was this? There was a black feather laying, innocently, on the floor. It must've been some ludicrous message from Sephiroth. What else could it be?

I knelt down and picked it up. Holding it between my thumb and forefinger, I examined it. It didn't exactly _look _like one of Sephiroth's feathers. But it **did** look familiar. I couldn't really place it, but it was so familiar. Yes, I went on thinking about it until I realized that it was too weird if I could tell Sephiroth's feather from someone else's. Still. I took a couple steps down the hall with the intent of finding whoever was sneaking around. But it only took two steps for paranoia to set in.

What if it was _his plan_ to get me out of the room?

It wasn't exactly his style, but one of the remnants might have come up with it. I just couldn't trust it. So, if I didn't take the bait, then whoever was there would have to confront me eventually. I just had to turn this around to my advantage. If I could make them come to me, then their plan would be gone. So I walked back into the room, shut the door, and sat down next to the blonde.

I took the wet cloth in hand and rewet it so I could drench his chest again. The wringing it out was easy. But once I had even the slightest contact with his skin, I had to bite my lip to fight the urge to quite bluntly caress his… "Awesome bod!" And even though I refused to think of it that way, I kinda was. If you wanted to twist it, and I knew I kept on sneaking _unnecessary_ touches. Each time I reached his waist with the cloth I "accidently" brushed my hand against his sensitive side. Very sensitive side. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a full sensation so as to pass it off as an accident. I also couldn't overdo it. There was no way I was going to be caught almost molesting the kid when someone walked in. That would be hard to explain.

I just fumbled with the cloth for a little bit and then wet it once more. Then, with more of a handle on it, I wiped down the length of his arms and picked up his wrists to scrub down his hands. That almost completed the job. Now, not even daring to get near his knees or legs/thighs, I dabbed at his tired but beautiful face. The sweat that had once been beading his forehead was soon gone and hopefully wouldn't come back.

I sighed when I saw his filthy hair and impatiently dumped half of the contents of the tub onto his blonde locks. The other half was drizzled all over his, almost literally, steaming body. I could've sworn I even saw some steam rise as I did so. All and all, the entire process was less erratic than I expected. Probably because I couldn't really treat it as such. That would've been pushing my boundaries. Admittedly strict and take-no-risk boundaries. But that was the best I could do at this point in the relationship. The relationship I was hoping would become something bigger, and if it didn't, I was going to severely disappointed. But how could it not? If anything it'd be better than last time. I already knew everything he liked. As I'd already told myself, I had the necessary knowledge and skills to make this work and play it to both our likes and dislikes. Avoid a few rough patches that were experienced, the works! Didn't every guy wish they had a shot like this?

Then again, every guy isn't previously dead and turns back time on their beloved while simultaneously putting their life at great risk because their nemesis was a genius and knew they would screw up like that… thus formulating a plan to handle that very situation. Gaia! I hated this! Why did Sephiroth have to be so smart and have the ability to read people to find out what they would do next? Not that the fact that we were best friends at one point or another really helped me out much. In fact, that was probably how he knew I would eventually do this. Ga-ia! It is annoying knowing something is all your fault! If I just hadn't lost my temper! The one time I lose my temper and it just **had** to be this! It really makes a person feel as though the planet was out to get them… or whatever deity. When in fact the whatever obviously has better things to do than to target one person and kick them while their down.

It just doesn't work that way. So I had to get over it. Nothing was out to get me. Except maybe Sephiroth to put me out of the picture so **he** could get at Cloud. Poor kid. Quite truthfully, all I had to do was stay focused and then the planet would do what it could to help me out when it was possible and or necessary. Because for one reason or another, Cloud was really important to all the guys upstairs. Understandable I guess. Who else would they get to save the planet from destruction? Who else would believe they had to so they would do it over, and over, and over again? I, personally, would get kinda tired after a while. But Cloud? He had that crazy thought in his head that he owed so many people so much that he would redeem himself, or he would repay whoever… I didn't really get it. Earlier today I did, but then I realized, all that went wrong, there was really nothing I could do about it. I just wanted to know what caused it. Cloud just hadn't learned than lesson yet. And there were plenty of Ancients who were damn willing to exploit that little detail. Even though it sickened a lot of people. Especially me (and Angeal) But nothing compared to the number they did on Vincent.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't them who caused all the trouble in the first place. But they _are_ usually the ones who send the signs… or some other idiocracy* that allows a person to begin forgiving themselves. And they waited to unveil his for years! Then again, locking himself in that coffin like an emo didn't give them much opportunity in the first place.

All I could do about any of it was shrug.

--

A few minutes passed in silence when I felt a slight shudder next to me.

"What's going on?" I sighed looking at Cloud.

My heart did a flip when I saw that he was shivering. My hand almost lashed out on its own and felt his forehead. His temperature had dropped below ninety eight! It was more around eighty nine now! What kind of cure had Loz given me?! It was just fatally high and now it's dangerously low?! That's not what was supposed to happen!

"_Relax…"_

"Relax?!" I shouted to the voice that wasn't there. "How can I relax?! He's dying!"

"_He's not…"_

"A lot of good that does me! Reassurance from something that's probably just me hallucinating!" I yelled falling to my knees. "Why am I failing again?" I whispered to the floor.

There wasn't much I alone could do. I'd ruined any chances of him getting warm by discarding all of the clothing I'd taken off him, it really had to be washed, and most of the blankets. Now the only ones he had left were drenched. I had to get some new ones, but I couldn't leave the room. This could **ALL** be some sort of plan to get me to leave! **This** seemed more like a plan Sephiroth would come up with.

The whole thing was so frustrating that I banged my fist against the floor over and over, as hard as I could, until it hurt.

I took a breath before deciding it was impossible for me to do this alone. "Help!" I yelled hoping they'd hear me in the bridge. I heard nothing. "HELP!!!" I screamed again while getting up and walking over to Cloud. He wasn't very responsive anymore. He was just shivering and wet from the water I'd dumped on him like an idiot! This time I heard the gentle thud of footsteps outside the door. But, even though they sounded rushed, they were headed in the other direction. It sounded as though whoever it was… was running toward the bridge instead of coming from it.

But whatever! It didn't matter. I didn't care if Sephiroth was watching me struggle with this. I didn't care if some remnant was going to come in here and try to strike me down. If anything I was pissed.

I picked Cloud up out of the bed and held him close to myself to share my body heat with him. It was all I could do for the moment while I thought of what to do next. It still didn't do much. He was still shaking. It was almost like his symptoms had come back but _they _weren't **this** bad!

I could feel my bottom lip quivering a little as I wrapped my arm tighter around his quivering body. My hand in his cold, soaked hair. It was all too much. I couldn't concentrate on what to do. "Aw! Angeal, where are you now?!" I asked in a shaky voice.

"Zack?" I heard Tifa outside the door. "Zack, are you still in there?"

I gasped a couple times trying to find words. "H-help!" I said finally. I was so relieved that someone came. And it was Tifa! She was so much better at keeping a level head in these types of situations. I was anxious just watching the doorknob turn and the hinges creak. It was all too slow for me to handle. I felt as though every second was bringing Cloud closer to the point of no return and the cavalry wasn't coming quick enough!

"What's going on in here?" She asked a bit angrily as she walked in. "You don't have to call me names to get me to come down here." She sighed.

"What? I didn't…" I didn't call her any names. "Never mind. Just help me, please!"

"What happened?!" She said running up to me. "Vincent said he was fine when he left."

"He was. But then his temperature went up and now it's dropped below ninety!" I said in a panicky voice. What other tone could I use right now?

"What kind of cure did Loz give you?!" She asked in the same tone of voice I had when I asked myself.

"I dunno. But asking that question over and over isn't going to help. I've already crucified myself for it and I don't need to be shot while I'm already down… again!" I said with an almost anxious sigh.

She seemed almost stunned by that comment which I didn't mean to say aloud or in that particular way. "… You're right…" She said after a while. "Arguing and pointing fingers isn't going to help Cloud." She took him from me and checked him over quickly. "He looks like he'll live…"

"Live?! He's turning blue?!" I yelled accidently cutting her off. She rolled her eyes a bit but still kept a look of understanding. Probably because underneath it all, she was just as worried as I was.

"Now, like I was saying…" She said after a few minutes of letting me breathe. "He looks like he'll live as long as we keep him warm and take care of him." She sighed. "Poor little guy… he doesn't look like he can pull through this all on his own." She stroked his hair a few times and then patted him on the back. "He looks exhausted."

She handed him back to me and went out to find another blanket that wasn't soaked. When she returned she had a pile of them. But she gave one of heavy fleece to me for wrapping around him. I did just that and tugged it a little tight around him to almost cocoon him in the warmth. He showed no sign of change for a brief moment, but then regained some responsiveness to let me see just how happy he was to be wrapped in it. I smiled and rocked him while staying seated on the floor.

As I did so, I watched Tifa quickly remake the bed with the dry, new bedding she'd brought in. Before she even did that though she flipped the mattress over to the dry side. The water must've seeped all the way through the sheets to it. Then once the bed was completely remade, she left the room again briefly. I watched her rush back into the room with new, clean pillows. Ones that weren't all wet with either water, sweat or a mixture of the two. Then… she was finished.

"All better." She said clapping her hands as if to get rid of any dust that would've been there. "Is he dry enough to put back in the bed?" She asked looking at me.

I looked down at him. His hair wasn't dripping anymore and his skin looked dry enough. "I suppose so." I answered feeling his forehead. "I think his temperature has gone back up as well." I said trying to figure what degree it was. "…… Ninety five… I think." I said placing him down in the bed gently as she pulled the covers back.

"As good a guess as any." She said tucking him in. Then she laughed to herself randomly.

I tilted my head in confusion. What could possibly be funny about this?

"I'm sorry." She said after a bit. "But… after all of this… it feels like you should kiss him or something."

I paused, almost dumbfounded. And though I really wanted to… "No. I couldn't. He wouldn't like it." I answered taking a half-step back. But, after some thought, I knelt down and ran my fingers through his hair. I didn't care that she was watching. I just continued with this moment we were having, even though he was unconscious. She didn't seem to be bothered by it. And he wasn't complaining. I definitely was loving it. So I took the extra step further and gently cupped a hand to his face. And, probably by coincidence, he leaned into it with a contented sigh. I stroked his cheek with my thumb for a minute and almost leaned in _for_ a kiss before catching myself.

I drew my hand away a bit suddenly and took a few steps back.

"Tifa?" I asked looking around the room. She'd left without me noticing. That was odd. But I didn't get much time to think about it before I myself failed to fight off the urges of sleep and collapsed on the floor…

--

**(A/N)** Please review! I know this chapter was a little bipolar and crazy but don't be too mad at me.

*And I know idiocracy isn't a word. It may be somewhere, but my computer doesn't consider it a word. So, for the sake of not feeling stupid, I'm going to say that I know it's not.

But still, if you read this, **REVIEW!!!** It'd be greatly appreciated.


	8. Cloud 4

**(A/N)** Okay. Possibly the fastest update ever! But the power was out and Fan fiction was acting funny so I decided to type. And I really like this chapter. It's a little jumpy but then again, so is Cloud. I also noticed I'd originally made him sixteen and then somewhere along the lines he'd turned into a cadet, not a trooper, and he was fourteen in my mind. So I'm going back through and fixing that through edits. Sorry. But I got too used to him as a cadet, so now he is. Anyways, enjoy it. Oh! And I also don't own Final Fantasy VII or even claim to. For if I did... Zack would probably still be alive.

--

I blinked a few times before deciding that I wasn't going to get back to sleep. And what a weird sleep it was. I would be in the pit of a volcano one minute and then stranded on an iceberg the next. Possibly one of the weirdest dreams I'd ever had. And I couldn't help but think that someone was there with me the entire time. I think it was that blonde man again. The one that always told me these weird things that I never remembered once I woke up. Come to think of it…

"Where am I?" I asked rolling around under the tightly tucked blankets. I couldn't get out. And I could barely move my arms under them. I wasn't even going to bother with my legs. I was mummified!

I panicked for all of a second before remembering I was on that airship. And surprisingly enough, my motion sickness wasn't kicking in. So either we weren't moving or this thing traveled really smoothly. I was gonna go ahead and assume the latter. Either way, I wanted to get out of this bed! It all felt like a worthless effort. No matter how much I wriggled and tried to kick the restraining blanket refused to give. I kinda wanted to call out, but if I did, I got the feeling that I still wouldn't get anywhere. But mostly if Tifa answered.

More than likely, she'd do that mother thing they all do and tell me I wasn't well enough to get out of bed. Even though I was!

I suppose I'd just have to be patient and work my way out of it. And depending on who tucked these in, it could end up taking hours. If I wanted to exaggerate. I just hope it wasn't Zack. But with my luck it probably was.

I'd also slightly lost my concept of time in here and there was no clock. So I had no idea how long I'd been asleep. I could guess and seeing as how I was fully rested, I'd say I got around ten hours maybe. That was how long I used to sleep. And in the barracks I only got half that. So I felt the best I'd had in a while. I actually felt alert and ready to take on the challenges the day threw at me. Well… some of them at least. And assuming it **was** day.

"Ah! Finally!" I said realizing that a few minutes of thrashing had gotten me free.

Happily, I swung my legs out of the bed and sat up. And to my dismay my feet still didn't touch the floor. Why was I so short?! I soon found that it was a good thing though because if they had, I would've stepped on Zack… who for some reason was sleeping on the floor. Why was he sleeping on the floor? _He_ should be in the bed. Not me.

And with the full intention of putting him in the bed, I got out of it and knelt down next to him. Then I was unusually cold. And _then_ I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my shoulder was exposed. I looked over and saw that my entire upper body was exposed as well. Quickly, I looked down to make sure that my lower half was still clothed. I was very relieved at seeing that it was, but my pant legs were rolled up to my knees right about. I was half naked!

Who did that and when did they find the opportunity to do it?!

"Why am I…?"

"You were sick with a fever. That's why." I heard a familiarly low voice say.

"Mr. Val…"

"Stop." He said walking up and covering my mouth. That wasn't necessary. "Just call me Vincent."

Call him Vincent? It'd feel awkward but if he wanted me to, I guess I could get used to it. I mean, I felt the same way when Zack told me not to address him as a superior officer, so I suppose this wouldn't be too out of the question.

He took his hand off of my mouth and then, "Vincent." I repeated back, just trying it out then made a funny face. I could tell I had a stupid grin on or something because he raised a brow at me. I couldn't help it. Saying his first name was so… so… different. But at the same time it felt so right. It kinda felt as though I'd done it a thousand times before but at the same time, not. It was a jittery sensation almost. Jittery didn't seem like the right word but I couldn't think of any other word to use. But whatever, it made Vincent happy… sorta.

At least I hoped he was happier than usual.

Then, I watched him pick Zack up off the floor effortlessly. He didn't seem to notice at all that he was being held up. Geez. He must really be out of it. That or a very deep sleeper. If that were the case then it sounded really funny to me. You'd figure SOLDIERs would be more alert than that. I thought so at least. Purely based off of things I'd heard. They say that the General could be fast asleep and be woken up by the tiniest sound… I hope that's only if he's alert and trying to hear something. I didn't really know much. And I was always too… well… I never _felt_ like asking Zack about things like that. But occasionally I would and feel like a stupid fanboy. I couldn't really watch myself though. They always just… slipped out.

I looked back at the gunner and realized he'd put Zack on the bed. But I don't think he was going to leave him there.

And then he walked up to me, completely ignoring my personal boundaries. He even had the audacity to take a firm hold of my arm. "H-hey! What do you think you're doing?! Get off!" I stammered. And I knew he wasn't exactly _on_ me. But… I just hated it when people got so close!

"Calm down." He said pulling me closer. "I'm just checking your temperature as instructed." I stayed quiet until he removed his glove. Then I couldn't hold in the nervous whine. He was making this more awkward than it had to be! "Honestly Cloud, you were much easier to take care of unconscious." He groaned putting his hand to my forehead. There was a moment of silence. And then he took his hand off my forehead, only to begin stroking my hair a bit too familiarly. I didn't really like it, but I'd wait it out and see if he'd stop on his own. That and I really didn't want to see what would happen if I snapped at him again. And I **knew** he wasn't like the boys back at the barracks. So I trusted him without doubt.

I thought that way, but after two minutes and he still didn't stop I got a little antsy.

"V-Vincent? What are you doing?" I asked in that stupid meek way.

"Sorry…" He said after a few seconds. Then he finally let me go. What the heck was that anyway? He's never done that before! Sure, he hugged me earlier, but he didn't do THAT!

"Umm… It's okay…?" I answered unsure. I didn't exactly know if I **was** okay with it. But I was gonna say so. As I said. I didn't feel like dumping on this guy.

And as expected, he picked up Zack again and started walking toward the door. "I'll take him to another room." I wanted to ask why but I got the answer before I could. "You shouldn't be on your feet. So can I trust you to go back to bed on your own?"

I nodded, put a hand behind my back, and waited for him to leave the room. Once the door closed and I heard him walk down the hall, I revealed the hand that I had put behind my back. My fingers were crossed. Childish, I know. But it wasn't like I was going to kill myself staying out bed. Besides, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "Go back to bed, as if!" I scoffed.

So I waited for a couple more minutes to be sure that he was going to be gone. And while thinking about it, I almost felt bad. He must've trusted me enough not to come back and check. So… wouldn't this be betraying his trust? I still wasn't going to go to bed, but I kept in mind that gaining back his trust would be difficult if I got caught. Then again. If I got caught, I was gonna run. Not far, but I was determined to give them a run for their money. And if they were persistent, I guess I would just spend the rest of the day in here. Perhaps they'd even give me something to do while I was being treated like a prisoner.

--

It didn't take me long to retrace the path that Tifa had taken me through. So at least I knew my way to the airlock and the bridge. But I wanted to know what other places there were on this ship. So I decided to explore a little bit and play the avoidance game. And if I was spotted, there was the avoidance maneuver to go along with it. Soon I was almost hoping someone would see me; once I got up enough confidence to think I could outwit them. Come to think of it, this _would _be a good chance to show them how just how useful I was. Maybe then they'd stop treating me like a porcelain doll.

"Not likely…" I sighed looking out a window. The landscape wasn't moving. So… I guess that meant I wasn't sick because we weren't moving. Dang! I was really hoping this thing wouldn't give me motion sickness. There was still a chance it might not but it was slim.

"Wait a minute." I gasped. I could see mountains in the distance. "I know those mountains." I said trying to get a better look through the window. Yup! Those were the ones. Nibelheim was just beyond them. That meant I was close to home! Wow, this thing must've gone fast! But not exceedingly fast. By the position of the sun I'd guess I'd slept until noon today after being up until about… ten or eleven last night. That was fourteen hours of sleep! Wow, no wonder I felt so good.

There was no time to dwell on that now. I could hear footsteps coming down the hall that I'd just come from. "Crap." I whispered and pressed myself against the wall behind me. Not even daring to jeopardize myself, I sidled away from the mouth of the hall and tried to turn each knob on each door until I found an open one.

I slipped inside the room without even looking at what it was. Beggars couldn't be choosers after all.

Then I did my best to stay quiet until whoever it was passed me by. But they didn't. They stood right in front of my door and it sounded as though they were tapping their foot. Probably waiting for someone. I myself looked around the room I was in. Just to try and find some place to hide. Luckily, there were plenty of options for me. This room was just full of crates. So I scrambled around quietly and opened a few. All of them had something in it until I found a woven one that had nothing inside. There was a leather strap and buckle holding the box closed previously. But it looked like someone had already undone it. It'd have to do, even though it looked small. But that was just another advantage of mine. Because of my small stature I could hide in places the other boys couldn't. I could also cram myself into places that people would think too small for a person to fit normally. But this would be no problem.

I did have to fit myself a bit uncomfortably in order for the basket to close. But once I'd adjusted myself a bit I was completely fine with it. So then I only had to listen. It didn't take long for the other to show up. It must've been Vincent.

"Vincent…" I heard Tifa ask. So it _was_ Vincent. "Did you fond him?"

"No…" The gunner answered.

"Oh… where could he be?"

"I'm not sure. But he must still be on the ship. Cid didn't see him go out the airlock." Vincent sighed.

"You're sure you told him not to wander off?"

"I told him to go back to bed as you told me." There was a pause. "I thought he'd listen."

"Well there's no time to worry anymore. We've just got to find him." Tifa said a bit cheery.

"You wouldn't figure a sixteen year old would play games like this."

"I don't think he's sixteen." Tifa said confused and thinking.

Uh… yeah! That was giving me two years too much credit! If I _were_ sixteen, I wouldn't be a cadet anymore. Geez. How much of a failure did these people think I was? I was fourteen.

"Zack said he was pretty sure he's sixteen. Either way, he's too old for these games."

"Now, now Vincent." Tifa said in an almost scolding tone. "Let's try to be a bit more understanding. This might not be a game to him. He's probably scared I mean he still hardly knows us after all. I'd be a bit frightened too. Just try and remember the situation he's in."

Scared? Maybe… but not of them. I felt as though if they were going to hurt me, they would've by now. It's not like they'd have to wait until I was weaker or weaken me themselves. Besides, they all acted friendly enough. Even Vincent and if any of them were scary, it'd be him. There was no warmth about him. He certainly was cool. But he wasn't approachable. And he didn't seem like the sentimental type. Nope. His personal boundaries were widely set as well. Even if he had no problem invading others.

"Maybe you're right…" Vincent answered after some thought I suppose.

What?! I'm not afraid of them! I just don't wanna go back to bed!

"And if not, if it's a game of hide and seek he wants, it's what he'll get!"

"Tifa…" Vincent sighed a little annoyed.

"Aw, c'mon Vincent! We've done things more ridiculous than playing a game of hide and seek. And we've got to do something to kill the time." She complained. I guess she just wanted to get some feeling of nostalgia. Because if that _were somehow_ Tifa, the one I knew anyway, hide and seek was her favorite game as a kid.

There was a loud crash as she swung the door open to the room I was in! Unfortunately for me, I swallowed a lump in my throat and that almost got her attention. I could see her through a wider hole in the weave of the basket. She was facing in my direction and looking around at the crates. She opened the first one I had selected and looked disappointed when I wasn't in it. My heart raced as she went through and got steadily closer to mine!

I panicked slightly when her hand reached for the lid of my basket. Everything seemed to slow down and I held my breath to keep from gasping. There was a thud and I could tell her hand was on it. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. But that didn't stop me from hearing the lid slowly being lifted. At that point I looked away.

"Tifa!" I heard the other man's voice call.

Instantly, the lid was dropped and she stepped away from me.

"Cid." She answered. "Did you see him anywhere?"

"See who?" Cid replied. I thought it might be a joke, but he sounded too serious for it.

"Never mind." Tifa sighed. "Is Zack awake?"

"Nah! Why would he be?"

"How long do you think he'll be asleep?" Vincent asked. I heard him begin to walk away but Cid must've stopped him.

"Who knows? Now why are those one the floor?" Cid answered walking into the room. I heard two more loud thuds and then he left the room shutting the door behind him. Everything else was a muffle as they walked away. I waited briefly and then decided I should switch positions and move on.

"Huh?!" I pushed at the lid with my hands and kicked it, but it wouldn't budge! "No!" Cid must've put two full crates on top of the basket! "Ahh!!!" I screamed, not caring if someone heard me, as I kicked it violently. "No! No! No!" I was trapped!

--

It hadn't been long since they'd left, but in my state of panic it felt like hours. I'd stopped screaming and kicking at the lid a few minutes after I'd discovered I was trapped in the basket. I'd even considered breaking through one of the sides. But I decided not to chance it. I didn't have the proper tools to do so and if I unbalanced anything the two heavier crates would crush me before I got out. So I went to just wondering how long it would take for them to find me. Hopefully not days.

My panic hadn't improved one bit a half an hour later. I was actually close to tears dammit! I wonder if they knew I was here and this was just my punishment for not doing as I was told. Why else would Cid randomly decide to stack those crates? I didn't like this. Maybe I _should_ be afraid of them if they were going to treat me like this! "Calm down." I told myself. There was no proof that they knew I was in here and were simply being cruel out of spite. But there was evidence against it. The biggest example being Tifa. She wouldn't let them do that to me and she didn't stop him. So they couldn't have known.

"Maybe Zack will wake up and find me." I sighed. But that really **could** end up taking days! I couldn't last that long! I was getting hungry and I hadn't had a drink in a while! Three days and I was toast!

I tried with all strength not to cry, but the twinge of pain from the woven basket digging my bare back set me off the edge. Reclaiming my place as the weak crybaby. Thankfully nary a tear was shed, like I thought would happen, instead I just whimpered like a dog crying. That was either good or worse. "Somebody hurry up and find me!" I called out.

"_Hold on…"_

"What?" What was that? It sounded like another girl. But where was she? I looked around in my basket trying to see the entire room outside, but there was no one wherever I looked.

"_Help is on the way…"_ She said in the happiest voice I'd heard in a while. The mere sound of it made me feel better. Her tone was very pleasant and comforting. It sounded more sisterly than Tifa's maternal tone. Either way I was content with the sound. But when she didn't speak again, all I had to go on was the memory. I wished she would speak again. I willed it to happen, but I got no response.

Feeling downhearted, I went back to waiting. If she was right, somebody would come and let me out of here. I wonder who she was talking about.

I waited, and waited, and waited… but this _help_ didn't come as swiftly as I had hoped.

Then finally the door flew open, I looked for my savior in the streaming light from the window, but all I saw was dark. The door was open, but I saw nothing else in the room. Just black. I thought it must've been a mistake and my mind made up the noise but then I heard two familiar thuds next to me. I kicked the lid off the basket and sat up trying to see who let me out.

But no sooner had I looked that I was blinded by black once more. I saw a silhouette in the doorway for a millisecond and then strips of black attacked my face!

Once they fell to the ground I jumped out of the basket and ran to the door. "Wait!" I called.

I heard nothing but rushed footsteps down hall. Then there was silence. Whoever had helped me apparently didn't _want_ a thank you. But, "Thank you…" I said anyway in the direction they had run off in.

I hissed a bit because of the scrape my back had gotten from a poke in the woven structure. But it wasn't as bad as the bite, the bullet wound, or the bruises of yesterday. Which, from a quick look at my arms, had not gone away; what else did I expect? I thought rolling my eyes.

When I turned back to shut the door, I paused. The black that had attacked my eyes were feathers. I giggled getting a vision a chocobo coming to my rescue. That's what it looked like. There it was; a pile of downy like feathers, and even some flight feathers. It fit… sorta. I mean, these could've gotten in my face when I kicked the lid up, making it ruffle its feathers as it ran away. The two things that didn't fit were how a chocobo would pick up crates and the human silhouette I'd seen in the doorway.

It couldn't be a bird. But what kind of person leaves feathers behind?

"Bizarre…" I sighed picking one up and putting it in my pocket. Now _that_ was bizarre. But the feather was pretty and I wanted to keep it. Another thing that people use to compare **me** to a bird all the time. So yes, I like pretty and shiny things. Who doesn't? Honestly, who doesn't?

I still really wanted to know who the winged person was…

But I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and focused on my task at hand. Which was… to find Tifa and get her to make it all go away! I didn't want any of this! I just wanted to go back home! Screw the army! I couldn't do this! "Shut up, you're only a cadet!" I told myself. Sure I didn't feel ready now, but that would change once I got my full training and knew what I was doing out here in the world.

I still really wanted find Tifa though. I needed the motherly feeling that she was so good at delivering.

So I started on that first little quest. And, not knowing where to start, I walked in the direction I'd heard them leave about forty five minutes ago. Just a hall with doors, some of them open, some of them not. It looked like their search might've gotten a bit more frantic than before. I went full circle back to the bridge. That's when I saw them. I was so happy I started running, but then I stopped at the sound of an angry voice.

"Fuck, we searched everywhere! Where the hell could that scamp had run off to?!" That was obviously Cid. "I swear, next time why don't you just lock him up?! Post guards! Then you won't lose track of the piece…!"

I shrunk back a little. His words were a bit frightening and plain unnecessary. The other's silence made me think they agreed with him.

"Cid, we're all anxious…" Vincent finally spoke. "But don't talk about him in that manner."

"Damn it! I know!" The angered man answered. "Geez! I'm just so pissed! When I find him I'm gonna lock him in that room and throw away the key!"

I took a few more steps back. They hadn't noticed me yet. So I still had time to run away, but… tell them no Tifa. Please.

"Cid…" She sighed. "I think you should stay here. Vincent and I will go find him. And we're NOT locking him up." She said sternly.

"If we can't get him to stay put, we may have to." Vincent threw in. Tifa almost glared at him and so did I. "Listen, Tifa…"

"No!" She blurted out. "You have to think of him! Locking him up will only frighten him!"

"I know. But it's not to frighten him. It's for his own good." Tifa looked as though she were about to scoff but he still went on. "I mean it. If he makes a habit of wandering off… that'll be to _his_ advantage."

She stopped and thought for a moment and then lowered her head. That told me that she thought he was right. No!

"Why the hell are you still bothering with this _'he'_ business?! Just say Se…"

"There he is." Vincent said cutting the pilot off. They all turned in my direction.

"Ah!" I squeaked realizing I'd been spotted.

"Grab him!" Cid shouted trying to run out. But he was stopped by Vincent, thank Gaia. After that I heard something along the lines of, 'He's gonna run off again!' But my focus was on Tifa, who had walked out and was headed right for me. Whenever I felt she got too close I would take a step back. I wanted to run to her, but I couldn't. They were going to lock me in a room. Why?! Vincent was wrong! I wasn't stupid! I was so torn I could feel my eyes warming up for it. The tears started to gather once she spoke.

"Cloud, it's okay." She said reaching her hand out to me.

I stared at her, then her hand. She didn't look like she was going to do me any harm. But I didn't know what to think. I stood still as long as she did and when she advanced, I leaned back.

"Hurry up and grab him Tifa!" Cid shouted anxiously. "We don't have time for this!"

That was enough to make me jump back. Everyone jumped actually. Not to mention both Vincent and Tifa looked back at Cid angrily. Which he responded to with an 'oh geez!' face, but I didn't feel like laughing. Or becoming claustrophobic. So I ran for it! Only difference this time being that Tifa came after me. So now I couldn't stop and find a place to hide!

I didn't want to be locked up. I didn't care if it was just in that bedroom. I hated being trapped! The guys loved locking me in rooms! Either all alone for hours, or with somebody for a few minutes. I could never get what kind of sick joke they were playing on me, but I hated it! Darn it! Just remembering it made me lose it for real this time. I could feel the warmth running down my face.

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted. "Stop! Nothing's going to happen!"

I shook my head and kept on running. She was sounding just like the guys when they ran me down. That was all I could think about now. They always caught me eventually, but why hadn't she? I figured she'd have me by now.

--

A few minutes went by when I'd reached a heavy, metal door unlike all the others. I couldn't recall how we ended up here, but I didn't waste time in opening it and running inside. I kicked it as I began to run again but I don't think it closed completely. Not soon after I could hear Tifa pushing it open again and following me inside. Gaia she had stamina! And sadly I was losing mine. I hadn't exactly calmed down yet either. I was still afraid, though I hated to admit it. So much for not being afraid of them.

"Cloud, we shouldn't be in here." She whispered slowing to a walk.

I came to a halt in front a big piece of machinery. Finally getting to breathe, I looked around. Whoa… when did we get all the way down to the engine room? This place was amazing! I'd forgotten my fears for the moment. But I was still wary of her. I _was_ fascinated by all of the mechanisms down here, but that didn't mean I was going to let her get me from behind. And I doubt she would. Since she was so cautious she didn't dare run, and I was a few meters away from her, so I'd say I was safe for now.

"Cloud, c'mere." She said taking on a brisker pace.

As soon as she spoke I took on a greater stride as well. I wasn't so sure I'd be able to keep it up though. She didn't give me hardly any time to breathe. However, my determination was great at this point. I didn't want to relive what they called "seven minutes in heaven", and I knew being locked up in a room would send those moments flooding back. All I could say for now was: that was **not** heaven! So, having that in mind, I decided I would find somewhere in here to hide. It was a good spur of the moment plan. I could find a place while pretending to look around at the gadgetry. Preferably some place small, where she couldn't reach me.

I didn't even know why she was being so cautious. It wasn't like these things were unstable. If they were, they'd be making a lot more noise than this. I suppose if I bumped into to certain ones they'd start having trouble, and a few of them had the ability to scald someone's flesh. But there was really no reason for keeping a walking pace in here.

There was a place for me to crawl in to just ahead. I wouldn't stay for long, I just needed to breathe. And hopefully she would get discouraged and leave me alone. But that chance wasn't very great. She cared too much, and for someone she hardly knew. I guess that's a good trait to have in this particular situation. But… I just really didn't want to be locked up with guards posted. That was a little much considering this was my first offense.

I suppose she was confused when I got down on my hands and knees, but as soon as she saw where I was going she broke her walk and sprinted over in an attempt to catch me. She'd like to have known that she caught me, but I was already too far away when she reached her hand inside the crevice.

"Cloud, come out please." She said trying to reach further.

"No." I answered quite bluntly. If she thought I was gonna come out just because she asked nicely, she was dreaming.

"Cloud, we didn't mean any of it. We were just nervous that you'd gone." She said solemnly.

Now she was going to pitch that? "I don't believe you." Why should I? Vincent's remarks were contrary to hers. And she was still sounding just like the guys. There was nothing she _could_ say without sounding like them really. It was ridiculous, but after the few moths or so that I'd actually been there, they'd pitched everything to coax me out of places. Not that it really mattered because nothing much happened after they got me out of my hiding places. Mostly they just wanted me to hang out with them, but I didn't like to because they didn't treat me very nicely when I did. They'd start out fine and then they'd push me around and trick me into doing things that made the Captain angry. But I always tried my best to keep my dignity through it all. I only cried in front of one of them, but I wasn't going to get too far into that. I hated that memory.

"At least come out of there and get a shirt for yourself." She sighed. I knew she was just worried about me, but I couldn't. I was thinking too much about the guys who shared a cabin with me at the barracks.

All too quickly she leaned back and steam flew out from behind me. I yelped at the small burn I received and scrambled out to get away from it. That shouldn't have happened. It was almost like someone was pulling strings to force me outta there. And in light of all that had been happening, I suppose that could be true.

"Oh, Cloud." Tifa said grabbing me. I stayed still in a daze. How did she get me? I crawled out far away from her. I didn't even here her step toward me. "Oh no, you got burnt. I thought you might've." She continued on as if the event beforehand hadn't happened. All I could think about was how I now had a burn to go along with the scrape on my back, the bite, the bullet wound, and the bruises. Why was I getting hurt so much? I knew I was clumsy, but not **this** bad. The bruises were because of me, but all of the others were from the craziness occurring around me.

I hissed when she brushed her fingers across the burnt spot conveniently right between my shoulder blades. It wasn't too bad though, I just wasn't ready for it. And hopefully it'd be gone in a few hours. I knew the scrape would go away soon, but the bullet wound and the bite still throbbed if someone touched them. The bruises were never much trouble. They only ever began to hurt if they were poked. Which I had done before. It wasn't because I was masochistic like people accused me of though. It was because when bruises got that way it wasn't a sharp pain, it was a dull, numbing pain that was always so interesting to me.

This wasn't right. I felt as though I didn't have as many self inflicted injuries as usual. Normally I'd get at least two accidental injuries each day. They never lasted long, but I found it weird that I hadn't tripped yet. And that made me anticipate when it would happen. I got the feeling it would happen soon.

"… Cloud?" I heard Tifa ask. I snapped away from my _wound journal_ and stared at her. She was going to tell me that the burn was bad… wasn't she? "It's not as bad as it could've been, but we should still put something on it." She told me as though I were eight. I didn't care though. At least it wasn't going to torture me for days as I feared it would. "Do you want to talk about anything?" She asked.

"No." I had nothing to talk about. And I knew all too well that she wanted to know why I ran off like that. She wanted me to talk about all the things the guys did, I suppose, and just spill my guts to her… maybe I would when I knew her better, but now? No. I didn't want her to know about any of that. I didn't want **anyone** to know about any of that.

"Okay, but I think you should know that we were just anxious, honestly. I wouldn't let them do that, and I doubt they would. It was just hard having you run away and disappear."

"But Cid said…"

"Cid doesn't ever mean what he says. Not when it's like that. He just sounds… angry when he's nervous about some things." She answered.

All of this was exactly what I wanted to hear. It sounded too good to be true. But a part me believed her and I could feel myself begin to calm down a little. Some of the thoughts of the guys vanished, but not all of them. The nagging memories that liked to attack a person when they were weak lingered.

"What about what Vincent said?" I asked in a paranoid tone. Vincent meant what he said after all. He told her that himself. And he didn't sound anxious when he said it. So why would she lie to me if he was telling the truth about that? She couldn't know for sure his words were false, could she?

"Vincent's a little… hard to read. But his intentions are good." She reassured me… sorta. "He just wants to keep you safe." I suppose that was true. But his method sounded a little extreme. "I know it sounds bad, but someone has to keep an eye on you. And that will be Zack whenever he's awake. He won't allow anyone else to if he's able, trust me. And I don't think Zack would like the thought of locking you up inside a room like that."

"Zack huh?" I guess he was who I'd pick if I had to. The thought of Zack made all of the memories disappear. He always had such a positive effect on my mind.

"Yeah. He needed a little help, but he took care of you when you were sick last night. He was up until early morning watching over you. So he's not so bad, right?"

I shook my head. He really wasn't. I think I'd even prefer him over Tifa. Sure, he was dopey, but he… I dunno. "Aw man." I muttered. To my embarrassment, I could feel the blush flare up when I thought about the SOLDIER.

"You need to get some new clothes I think." Tifa said after a minute.

I looked down at the clothing covering my lower body. It had blacked from the greased metal in that crevice I'd crawled into. And I think some had spilled out onto the floor. So now the blue pants of my uniform were speckled with blackish-brown blotches. If my Captain had seen it, I'd get a whack from his nightstick for sure. It was disgraceful.

"Are there any?" I asked shrugging off the last shreds of doubt. The only thing I doubted now was if Cid had any clothes my size.

"I'm not sure. But it wouldn't hurt to check." She said helping me up. We kept a slow walking pace up until the door to the room. Along the way I even began to question _myself_ as to why I reacted the way I did. I thought back on it and skipped over all the flashbacks. With those out of the picture, there really was no reason for the action I took. I still felt stupid for acting that way. Nothing was going to change that. I regretted it. I'd made myself look so weak and childish in front of everybody… except Zack. I think I may have died of embarrassment if I had.

Once we got out the door we took a normal pace down the hall. I had no idea where she was taking me so I had to stay close by her side or behind her. And eventually after walking almost all the way back to the bridge, she stopped. I watched as the door opened and saw piles of cloth. She started pawing through it as I watched. All the while she was sighing, probably because she was finding nothing.

"Okay, I didn't want to do this but…" She said after practically twenty minutes. I had a pile of cloth shoved at me and then I was led down the hall again to the bedroom I was in before. "Change in here." She said pushing me inside and closing the door.

I just stood there for a moment and waited to here the click of a lock… but I didn't. I couldn't believe after all of that I thought I may have been tricked. She wouldn't do that to me. So I just walked over to the bed and laid the pile on it. "What didn't she want to do anyhow?" I asked myself as I undid my pants and pulled them off. I briefly wondered where all of the belts and leather on my uniform had gone, but I saw them in the compartment under the nightstand. So I went back to my business and discarded the grease covered pants onto the floor. Once I searched for the new pair in the pile I got what she was talking about. "Seriously?" I muttered in disbelief. I sighed and slowly closed my eyes.

The pants… were girl's pants…

So was one of the tops. What was she thinking? "Oh well." I told myself and pulled on the pants she'd given me. They were black denim and kinda tight fitting. They were even boot-cut?! "Aw, c'mon!" This was so bad! But at least they weren't too, too tight in the crotch area. If that were the case I would not wear them. I still had **some** dignity. And since it was so darn convenient, I put my boots back on. After that I put on the woman's top. It wasn't much, just a black long sleeve shirt. It matched the pants. Now was the last piece of the ensemble left on the bed. What was it supposed to be?

"You can't be serious!" I called through the door.

"I'm sorry. It was all that would fit you." Tifa answered back.

If that was the case, I had better wear the whole thing. The last bit of it was a grayish-black vest with white thread visibly running down it in _complementary_ areas. It was a good thing that my boots were dark brown; otherwise they wouldn't go with the rest of it… not that I cared. Then, rolling my eyes, I took my filthy pants over to the hamper and found the other missing pieces of my uniform inside.

"Are you all finished?" Tifa asked. I groaned in response, I didn't really want to come out. I was dressed like a girl. But I didn't want to stay in here either. So I grudgingly opened the door and dragged my feet walking out. Tifa just looked me over in complete silence. "I know you're unhappy about it and this is the last thing you want to hear right now but… You look really cute in that."

"Do I really have to wear this?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry. But everything else was too big." She answered a bit oddly. "Now I guess we should go back to the bridge." She said walking off down the hall once more.

I trudged along behind her. The bridge?! I couldn't believe she was making me go to the bridge dressed like this where everyone could see me. That was the worst thing she could've made me do at this point! I really didn't want to follow her, but I had nothing better to do. So I walked as though I were condemned to death and braced myself for humiliation. The emanate laughter and poking fun. Why did this stuff always happen to me? I felt as though I had been previously targeted for all this. Now she was practically showing me around like my mother used to.

--

The trip to the bridge was a quiet one. I didn't really have time to talk while going through the preparations that were necessary to survive these situations. You know. The kinds of defenses that had to be enforced to block all of the awkward feelings and jokes. This was **all** so I may have even the slightest chance of making it through this mess with even a shred of dignity. But nothing was guaranteed. I may not live another day if I wanted to be melodramatic.

"So how is everything?" Tifa asked walking in.

Cid caught one glimpse of me and started off like a rocket. "Cloud, I'm sorry, I didn't mean all of that stuff I said earlier." He said genuinely. I don't think he'd seen what I was wearing yet. But that protection didn't last. He stopped and stared for a moment and then flung his head back laughing. "Those are Sherra's clothes!" I had to listen to him go on and on without being able to defend myself whatsoever. At least Vincent wasn't laughing. He was just looking at me like I was weird. "So! Cross-dressing again, Cloud?!" I heard Cid remark. I raised a brow at him.

"Again?" I asked. I wasn't going to count any of the times that my mother had done it to me as a toddler and, as far as I knew, this was the only other time I'd done it.

"Cid stop." Vincent finally spoke. "We don't have time for this. We have to leave if those people are going to have a chance."

We all watched Cid try and get control over himself as he went over to start the ship. As soon as the engines started and the ship jerked into motion, my motion sickness acted up and I almost puked again. Tifa put a hand on my shoulder and rubbed my back as soon as I hunched over. "Ahh…" I groaned after it didn't get better. I stumbled out the door and slumped against the wall. Nothing was helping! I figured I'd better go lie down and tried to stand up. But once I did I lost my footing and fell against the airlock. After that everything happened so fast I didn't know what to think. All I knew was I was falling!

I blacked out for what felt like a second and then I was on the ground. Quickly I pushed myself up with my arms and got into a sitting position. I looked up into the sky and didn't see the ship anywhere. My breathing quickened greatly just at the thought of being stranded. But not wanting to believe it, I glanced around to see if the ship had landed. It hadn't. I was so confused. I wasn't hurt, so I couldn't have fallen far. "W-what happened?!" I shouted.

All I could think was that I must've accidentally opened the airlock when I fell against it. "That'd be perfect for my luck!" I cried standing up. What was I gonna do?! I was a bit closer to the mountains than before, but I couldn't cross those without a weapon. Did they even know that I was gone?! If they did, why hadn't they come back for me?! What would Zack think?! No! No! This was fine! All I had to do was stay where I was and they would come and find me.

"Yeah. This is good." I told myself. There was no need to panic. I just had to wait and hope they'd come back for me before night and I froze.

And as usual, my luck wasn't going to let that happen. I could see some dust rising in the distance. But what could it be? A monster? That'd be just great. But no. It was just some men on chocobos. I squinted trying to get a better look at them and saw one was swinging something. Then he whipped it forward and something came flying towards me! "Ah!" I tried to jump out of the way but I was too late and I felt a big rock collide with my head.

I was flung backwards onto my back and just laid there. The two of them rode up and stopped next to me. Then I heard a loud slapping sound.

"Geez, Herb! It was a boy not a bird!" I heard an angry voice shout.

"Really?!" There were some scuffling sounds and then there was a shadow looming over me, getting closer. I just stared straight up at the sky. Something warm was running down the side of my face and it was coming from where the rock had hit me.

"Hhhnn…" I whimpered feeling everything getting fuzzy. And I tried to focus on the bearded face now staring down at mine. This man must've been around Cid's age because of the crow's feet around his eyes. He also didn't look groomed.

"Sorry lil' guy." He said apologetically. "Saw yer hair and mistook ya' fer a chocobo. Stupid me tried to catch ya'." He laughed. "You alright? Yer bleedin'."

"Ugh…" I groaned before everything went white.

--

**(A/N)** Poor Cloud. Just trouble, trouble, and oh! More trouble. Hopefully things will get better for him soon. I dunno. I suppose I could give him a break. Anyways. Hope you liked it enough to leave a nice review. I wonder if more people would review if the button was shiny and sparkly.


	9. A Filling In

**(A/N)** Yeah. So since Zack is going to be incapacitated for a while (Sorry) this chapter is going to be a bit different. I figured it was only fair to you guys that I put a fill-in chapter here and there so you know what's going on in the eyes of some other characters. So this chapter will consist of Angeal, short bit from Loz, Aerith, Reno, and of course Sephiroth. Hope you all don't hate me.

--

Angeal~

I tapped my fingers impatiently against the pedestal as I watched the two young men closely. It seemed that I had developed the same syndrome Zack had previously and as soon as they refilled the mirror I was glued to it. Although nothing was happening at the moment; it seemed both were unconscious as luck would have it. I had to pity them both really. Neither were getting very far very quickly. Zack was currently on the Shera headed back towards Mideel to unwillingly participate in an AVALANCHE mission. And Cloud was safe with those men as far as I knew. Both of those men had no origin but I could sense that they were good at heart. After all, there was nothing more humble than a pair of chocobo farmers. So I didn't pay too close attention to him. Aerith watched over him whenever she could, I was instructed, by her, to watch Zack and keep him on the right track.

The poor kid seemed so lost. It had always amazed me over how much he could lose his head over one cute little cadet. Thank the planet I was already out of SOLDIER by the time they became lovers. Then I may have lost my patience with him.

"Now what…?" I sighed. Nothing interesting was happening. I suppose the ancients didn't tell Zack that he couldn't overexert himself or the body they'd restored would burn out and he'd be unconscious for days. I suppose they'd left a few obstacles to see how well he could handle this situation. But even I didn't know what else was to be expected from them.

"They only said we were forbidden to go to the planet and help…" I recalled. So it wasn't breaking any rules if I watched over everything. Besides, _Sephiroth_ wasn't something they had exactly planned. They also said nothing about sending someone else as an ensured aide in his quest. It wasn't like I told someone else to leave the Lifestream and help them out. I simply asked a favor of an old friend; a favor that he was oddly willing to accept. Not even many questions were asked. I wasn't about to second guess on his help, but it _was_ unlike him. Normally he would be skeptical.

"Angeal…?" I heard Zack's voice call from far away. Immediately I stopped looking into the mirror and sensed for him. He sounded far way, but he was closer than he was on the planet's surface. That, and knowing that he was unconscious only led me to believe that he was dreaming. I guess I could get in on that. I would've done it earlier but I'd learned from experience that it's better to wait until they're expecting you. Otherwise you could cause damage to their mind. So, now that I was invited, I made my way to the portal to the dream realm and stepped through the veil.

After that, all I had to do was stay focused on Zack. That was another thing I'd learned through difficult experiences. If you couldn't stay focused, you could end up just about anywhere. It's much better to play it safe, close your eyes, and picture the person whose dream you want to enter.

But once I got there, it wasn't what I'd expected. The first dream that Zack had in so many years and, to my surprise, it wasn't about his mountain boy. I couldn't really tell what it was. But, soon after I'd arrived, it didn't really matter. Everything disappeared. Zack had some control over his dreams it seemed. An impressive skill I must say. But he looked as though he were going to demand a lot of answers about many questions. I hoped he'd expect that I couldn't say a word even if I _did_ know the answer to any of them.

"Angeal, have the Ancients told you anything?" He asked actually sounding more… desperate than demanding. I looked down trying to think of something, but I came up with nothing.

"No. They haven't told me anything useful." I spoke half truthfully. "This is _your_ task. **You** have to find your way or else…" Actually… they hadn't mentioned any consequences if he failed.

"Thought so." He sighed. He looked so discouraged afterwards. I felt kind of bad about my lack of knowledge, but this _was _a punishment after all. There wasn't much more I could do that I wasn't already doing, planning to do, or thought of. "Well…" He started again. "Do you know what's going on in the waking world?"

"No." I lied. If he knew that Cloud had fallen out of the airship he'd probably have a nervous break down. I didn't want to see how he'd react to it. Especially since he was now in the hands of strangers.

"I thought you'd been checking in on us." He said as if he were calling my bluff.

"I haven't checked lately." I shrugged, lying again.

"Angeal, why is this so hard?" He asked almost breaking down before me. "I didn't think it'd be this hard to keep track of him." Indeed. And in all fairness it shouldn't be so hard to watch one kid. But Sephiroth wasn't making it easy. And there was also the problem of the boy being cursed with bad luck! I had no idea if the Ancients did it or if he'd always been such a clumsy weakling. He had always been seen as weak, but that was next to Zack. How would one compete with a SOLDIER? The task was impossible. Especially if you were trying to compete with a first. And Zack… he was dim but he was an excellent operative; it was mostly his determination. Already a first class operative and he still acted like he was shooting for something higher.

"I wouldn't say it's… well… the situation isn't exactly _supposed_ to be easy." I said scratching the back of my head. "But I think anyone would have trouble keeping track of him. He's young, energetic, and likes to hide from trouble makers apparently."

"What am I supposed to do? I get the feeling that it's only a matter of time before I lose him forever."

"That's impossible." I laughed. "You can't lose him forever. As long as you keep on going after him, you'll get him back every time. Just stay committed and he will return to you."

"That sounded very Ancient-like." Zack mumbled. I saw a smile trying to work its way up to the surface, but he stifled it. "How can you be so sure?"

I thought about a reply when I felt a pull at the back of my mind. That usually meant I was being called back. "Zack, I don't have much time left." I sighed. "If there is any doubt…" I thought about what to say next, though I doubted I could tell him anything that would help him. The best thing I could do for him was to tell him to never lose faith. As long as they both never gave up on one another the tides would turn in their favor. "… just remember that the planet is on your side. Never give up and fight with your honor." I said the same way I used to. Now that got a smile on his face.

"I don't know for sure what that means, but thank you." He answered gratefully.

"Do your best with the boy…" I put a hand on his shoulder. "… but remember to take care of yourself." That was all I could muster before the pull became too much and a call was blaring in my ears. I had to get out of Zack's dream and check something in the _dream realm_. The Ancients could sense something was there that didn't belong. I hesitantly turned from Zack and left the way I'd came.

Once gone from there, I appeared back into the vast white that was the dream realm. There was nothing but calm. So I searched through the beams of light and found nothing at first. But then I saw something that I hadn't expected. "You?!" I gasped as they ran into the blinding white and disappeared.

--

Loz~

"I can't believe you did that!" I winced at the words. "Do you know how bad it could've been for all of us if Sephiroth hadn't quickly come up with a back up plan?!" Yazoo continued on. I couldn't really follow since I didn't know what I'd done that was so bad in the first place. "Sure, you started out fine, and then you go easy on him?! Sephiroth told you not to do that! We were supposed to treat him like the traitor that he is! Because you got soft and cared for him we lost him." He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. I waited while I tried to think of what to say.

"But Yazoo…" I said a little confused. "He doesn't act like the traitor, he… he… acts like he doesn't remember or even know. I couldn't hurt him." I paused. "Do you like to hurt him?"

"That's a stupid question." He sighed. But then he thought about it. "Honestly? No." He shook his head. "He's our Nii-san. None of us _want_ to hurt him. But if Sephiroth tells us to, we must. It doesn't mean we have to like it." He said walking up the steps to the large building that was our base.

"But… but…" I thought. There was something that didn't fit in all of this. "If we don't like to hurt Nii-san, why does Sephiroth?" If we didn't like to there was no way he could. So why?

"I wouldn't know that." He answered opening the door. "But you have to be more **careful**." He jabbed me hard in the chest. "If Sephiroth finds out about another fumble of yours then we'll all suffer."

"Yazoo. I tried, but I couldn't. He was crying." I complained.

That definitely got his attention. His look was quizzical. "Nii-san? Cry?" He thought about it. "You must be lying." He said walking inside.

"I am not!" I shouted following him through.

--

Aerith~

I approached the mirror in an attempt to find Angeal. He'd always been there before, but today he was gone. I stared into the water to see where he was and saw only white. That meant he hadn't left the lifestream, he was safe. I sighed in relief with that reassurance. It wasn't that I thought he'd do something rash, but… I dunno. Maybe I didn't trust him as much as I thought I did. It _was_ Zack after all. I shrugged and shook off the thought. "Better check on Cloud." I told myself. I didn't want to risk him being trapped in another box.

The mirror rippled and then showed his limp body seated on the saddle of a chocobo, leaning against one of the men who had found him outside the mountains. His wounds were probably nothing compared to that throbbing bump on his forehead. They'd stopped the bleeding and bandaged it. But I doubt it had numbed much. Poor kid. He was unfortunate but lucky that he hadn't gotten any severe injuries from falling out of the airship. The three of them were headed towards the Gold Saucer.

"I wonder what those men could possibly be doing there." I sighed. But I guess it wasn't a bad thing if they wanted to have a good time. They'd just better keep a good eye on Cloud. I hoped they knew just how much trouble he could land himself in. But I suppose the two men were responsible enough to keep a really close eye on him. The older one felt _entirely_ _responsible_ for him. Probably because he was the one who knocked him out. I could tell he wouldn't leave him alone in a place like the Gold Saucer. Not all of the people who went there were trust worthy.

"I should talk to him in person." I thought out loud. So I headed towards the dream realm and walked through the veil. Maybe Angeal was in there too.

That was what I thought until I realized I couldn't find him if I wanted to get to Cloud. If my focus was too divided I wouldn't reach my destination. So I kept my thoughts on the blonde, it wasn't hard. Although we never were what I had hoped, he was still so endearing that he'd left an impression on me. He was, admittedly, more _typically_ endearing now than when I'd met him I suppose. It was hard to tell. Either way, I landed myself in his dream easily.

"I wonder where I am." I said looking around. The room I'd appeared in was very dark; it was also clean and well furnished. The tiles on the floor looked as though they were freshly polished and all of the furniture was leather. Those things really didn't matter to me. I just had to find Cloud. So I wandered while trying to listen for a sound. Once I passed a glass pane, I began to think that I wasn't as focused as I'd thought I was. For the pane said this was floor forty nine. That could only mean I was on the SOLDIER floor in the Shinra building. A clock also told me that it was around ten. That had to be an hour past curfew at least. "Well this isn't the right place."

I closed my eyes and with a little nod of my head, I was in what had to be the barracks. The place was a mess and the furniture was torn in places and ragged. The floors were carpeted with holes here and there. It didn't seem like a very hospitable place. But somehow the boys here were able to find comfort and sleep in such a horrid place. "At least some of them anyway." I mumbled seeing a light on. But it was a dream after all. The lit room had to be where Cloud was.

I took a few steps until I heard hastened breathing. Doing my best to keep calm, I remained at a walking pace until I could enter the room to see the blonde huddled in the corner. He was shaking and hiding his face. Judging by that… this must've been a nightmare. "Cloud…?" I asked.

His head shot up and he stared at me. "Who…? Who are you?" He asked. I started and then stopped to quickly run through all of the restrictions the Ancients had given us. After that, I decided I wasn't doing anything wrong.

"My name is Aerith." I said walking closer. He shied away a bit. "You don't have to do that. I'm not going to hurt you. Do I look like I will?"

He stopped and stared some more. And after quite a while he shook his head. But even though he said I didn't look dangerous, he still moved away whenever I stepped closer to him. "You should go." He said glancing around for something. "This place isn't safe." I watched him look around some more and couldn't help but wonder what kind of demons this boy could've created to make him so crippled in his own mind. After being in the lifestream it appalled me that people could lose control in a world that was theirs to control and bend to their will. But even I couldn't when I was on the planet.

"Why isn't it safe?" I asked.

"Because…" He answered shakily. "The behemoth is outside and… and the guys are inside."

"Oh…" I mumbled. So the behemoth was guarding the outside to add to the trapped feeling he feared. And since Zack asked me many times what he should do about Cloud's bully problem… well I'm guessing _the guys_ were the ones who were doing the bullying… So this was what his younger mind had nightmares about? I guess this would be easier than what his older mind could cook up. Then again, at this point, he hadn't seen all of the horrors of fire and death. "It's alright." I said walking over and sitting next to him. "Those guys won't hurt you."

"Yes they will." He argued. "They never leave me alone." His eyes suddenly got wide and he hid his face again. "I can hear them coming!"

I looked over to see the boys he was talking about, but I couldn't see anything. There was nothing. And still Cloud was acting as though he could hear the footsteps of the other cadets. So it was one of **those** nightmares. I hated those and fortunately had few. "No one's there." I told him putting my hands on his shoulders. "Look. There's nothing to be afraid of."

He cautiously looked, but when he did I didn't expect him to scream. It made me jump and look around while he hid once again. When I looked I saw red everywhere. But I was only frightened when I saw some pitch black forms begin to move about. I started to ask what those things were but he'd already told me before I'd finished. "Those are the guys." He whimpered.

"Oh…" I said finally understanding why this was a nightmare. Those shadow creatures definitely weren't the troublesome cadets Zack had told me about. Is this what he saw them as?

"Go away!" He shouted at the figures ghosting towards us. That was not the way to solve the problem. If the nightmares could sense the fear they'd only advance further. Which they did, '_the guys'_ only started coming in closer.

"No. No. Cloud. Don't yell at them, don't even look at them." I said ignoring them myself. "As long as you don't see them they can't hurt you…" He gave me a funny look. "As long as you don't see them, they don't exist." He looked as though he were trying but couldn't. "Okay… don't look at them, look at me." I said putting my hands on the sides of his head so he couldn't glance over and see them.

"I can't… they're still there." He whined.

"Don't think about it. You can do it. They're only apparitions." He had to try. Very horrible things could happen to the mind if it was allowed to be swallowed up by fear. "Just think about something else." I said encouragingly. "Think of something that makes you happy and really focus on it." After I told him that I watched the figures closely as they fought but melted away into a brighter light than before. The cold room was replaced by a warm, cozy home. There was a lit fireplace at the edge of the room and the most delightful, delicious smell coming from the kitchen. This place was so enchanting by merely being humble in appearance.

"Uhh…" I heard Cloud say. "Could you let go of my head…?" He asked.

"Sorry." I said removing my hands. And then the Ancients sent out a call for me to come back with the worst possible time. I didn't want to leave. Maybe that was why they decided to call me back so soon. This place could make **anyone** stay. "Drat. I have to go." I sighed. "Will you be okay here?" I asked. He nodded faintly. "I know. This visit was cut a little short but I'll always be here if you need me." I said practically abandoning him. Somehow I could sense he was staring at me as I walked away. But this call sounded urgent. So I stepped out the door which led me straight back to the dream realm.

--

Reno~

I listened to the blades spin on top of the helicopter as I searched anywhere on the ground for the blonde they'd lost. Yes, it seemed that the brilliant Tifa and company had lost Cloud right out of their airship. So without any way to bail on their mission, AVALANCHE called in a favor to Rufus Shinra who sent out the remaining Turks. Not that I was complaining, things were pretty dull around Mi… Edge… so I was a bit eager to get out. And for one reason or another I was flying solo. Not really. I'd just dropped off the others around the continent the Shera had just been so now I had to pick a spot and search it. "How do you lose someone like that?" I asked myself. "Did the stupid kid fall out?" No… who can just fall out of the airlock when the ship is taking off? "Maybe he was pushed." I said casually. But I knew that couldn't be true. No one was on the ship that would dare push him.

I decided to land the helicopter right around the spot where the ship last was. There wasn't much else since Tseng was checking Nibelheim; Elena was checking Costa Del Sol, Rude was checking Rocket Town, and we even called Cissnei to help out and check Gongaga. That being the case I was planning on making my way to the Gold Saucer.

I mean, there wasn't even a way for us to figure out where he would've gone to. If it were the older Cloud we would've stayed as a team and checked Nibelheim. But somehow… Cloud was… younger… and a cadet. Tch. I'd believe it when I saw it. Besides, it was Cid who said… yelled it. So there _was_ the possibility that he was having delusions while under the influence. More than likely it was going to be Tseng who found him. After all, it's natural for the joey to return to the pouch.

Keeping that in mind I decided there was nothing else worth exploring at the moment. So why not goof off? …And look for the scamp a little bit.

I made sure to stay near the helicopter in case the odds of someone being able to steal it arose. There was nothing much around except for the imprints where the ship had been and a little trail. What was that? For that matter, what was the other little area of upset dirt?

Maybe I **did** find something. I walked over to make sure.

They had said that they weren't certain when they'd lost him. Just by glancing, I'd have to say that they'd dropped him just as they took off and then he was well enough to wander off. "Maybe it'll be a cliché and he'll have amnesia or something." I thought out loud. That'd be ridiculous, Cloud was stronger than that. He'd probably landed on his feet like the show off he was. "… But maybe not." I said glaring down at some blood in the grass.

I changed my mind about before. There was a possibility this wasn't Cloud's blood or even a humans. But it still kicked the crud out of my plan to goof off. Because whatever it was, it would be fun for me to figure out. If it was Cloud, I could hold saving his injured butt over his head for months. If it was a person, I still got credit and self satisfaction. And if it was a wounded animal, I'd keep it and annoy Tseng. Everything amounted to a win-win situation for me.

Getting back to business, there was a good sized rock nearby with blood all over it. So whatever this victim was… it was hurt intentionally. So there was a perp? This was getting more interesting by the minute. "So the next step would be the tracks…" I sighed contently. This was a bit easy.

I walked over to the tracks and studied them until I was sure what the three-toed pattern was. It had to be a large bird. That limited it to a small number of things, but once I caught sight of footprints made from a boot… well… that reassured me that the bird tracks were made from a chocobo. No, two. There were two chocobos.

So! There were tracks of two chocobos next to blood left behind where Cloud was believed to have fallen out of the airship? It looked like this was a case of abduction! Or not. I wanted to wager that there was a fight, but there wasn't enough evidence of it. One thing was certain; Cloud could take care of himself. I mean c'mon. He could take a hit to the head. I still stuck with the plan of following the trail for the sake of getting Tifa to stop calling and asking about him. Getting back in the helicopter, I flew relatively low to keep my eyes on the trail. And a little unexpected, it led to the Gold Saucer.

"Sweet."

--

Sephiroth~

Sparks flew from the rocks as I slashed them in half. This was so irritating! I thought I'd have him by now. It couldn't possibly take more than a day to track down one small boy! Of all the incompetence! If it weren't a form of suicide I would kill Loz. How did I expect him not to screw things up? The thing that nagged the most, however, was that he had him! I slashed again before stopping. I'd had enough therapy and it was only hurting Masamune. It was just so… so… how could he get a hold of him and then lose him in such short a time? And the biggest grievance was that he'd lost him by falling for Zackary's little trick. Honestly, how could he be _my_ remnant?

"This is fine." I told myself taking a few deep breaths. It was clear that I needed to be less assertive and switch my focus. I shouldn't be going after the boy straight off. It was just like fighting a war; you had to take down the fortress before you could eliminate the enemy. Getting AVALANCHE out of the way wouldn't be too hard, but I'd need some leverage for it. I'd just have to lay low for a while and then devise a plan where they'd have to go away on a mission and then I would have a chance to move in on Cloud. But actually getting them separated might be a problem…

However the real problem was Zackary.

He was sticking to Cloud as much as he could. How could I get a SOLDIER operative away from him? Especially Zack. "As much as I don't want to I might have to kill him." I couldn't risk injuring him and _leaving_ him for dead. I did that once and he turned out to be alive. Plus the damned planet was on his side. So I suppose I would have to send him straight back to those idiots in the lifestream. One had to wonder what they'd do then. "Do they even have a plan for that?" I asked myself. What could they do if they already expelled him and then… he died?

"Ha…" The thought of the look on his face made me laugh. But maybe it would be better if I kept him alive. All I'd have to do was make sure he was locked up well enough and then he'd beat himself up just knowing I had gotten the boy. Just let him imagine what I was doing to Cloud.

"Hmm…" That stopped me. What _was_ I going to do to him? There were SO many options. And I was getting quite interested in the water torture they used in Wutai. But there were variations of that as well. But … forced ingestion would kill him. And I didn't want that to happen right away. He had to suffer first! Waterboarding could work, so could dunking and dripping water. A water dungeon was too elaborate. I'd also heard that dumping cold water over the victim made piercing the skin much easier with a whip…

But right now I had to find the boy, appoint someone to keep track of him, and devise a plan to get him away from Zack. Only then could things move forward. "This stand still is starting to piss me off." I sighed. No progress had been made and now Cloud had vanished. I had to wonder if those idiots found an effective way of hiding him. Perhaps they had flown him someplace and stowed him in a box. That'd just make it easier for me. And that thought led me to think of solitary confinement to loosen him up a bit. Perhaps _I_ would seal him up in a wooden crate for about three days. It didn't matter right now I suppose. This place I'd found for a base, surprisingly, had many torture devices and such. So it was safe to say that the blonde would receive a _warm_ welcome when he got here.

"Or would he?" I asked myself. I'd been conflicting over this for the past few hours and I desperately wanted to have at him as soon as he came through the door. But I rather liked to deceive.

"Yazoo, I'm not lying!" I heard Loz shout around the corner. They must've been going inside. I stepped briskly so as to catch them and only saw Loz disappearing into the fortress.

"Get over here the both of you!" I hollered before the door shut.

There was a long pause before the two of them came trudging out. The act was a bit ridiculous, acting as if I were going to kill them. As if I would dispose of two of my important pawns. That'd be a stupid move. No. I simply decided to appoint one of them. It'd be smart to have Kadaj do it, but I couldn't risk losing him. He wasn't the best at blending in and he **could** be overpowered easily. I didn't have a plan for breaking anyone out of the confines of AVALANCHE or Shinra. It wasn't that I thought he'd talk in an interrogation or anything. But he was important to future plans and I didn't want any more screw ups. So that being the case, Loz was NOT suited for this job. But I also wanted to make sure Yazoo was kept for another time. What a decision. But…

"I want Yazoo to find Cloud and keep track of him." I sighed.

"What?" They both asked. I couldn't believe it. Hadn't they been paying attention?

"I've lost sight of him and I want Yazoo to pick it up where trail ended."

"He's not on the airship?" Loz asked.

"No. That's where he disappeared actually." I answered in a very frustrated tone. "He was on the ship as long as it was on the ground and vanished when it took off."

"Do you think he fell out?" Yazoo mused.

"That would be unfortunate." I thought out loud. If he'd fallen out there was a good chance that he was dead. That would explain why I'd lost him. There _was_ the off chance that he was unconscious. Which he could be. The planet and the Ancients above wouldn't let him die so easily… and neither would I. If he was dead I swore I'd… I go up there and drag him back out myself! He could die someday, but I doubted it. The planet liked him too much. They'd all probably keep him alive to defend the planet from any sort of trouble it got into. So there'd be plenty of time to make him pay! Plenty of time to make him watch as I accomplished my goal to send this whole forsaken planet to oblivion. _And everyone on it. _

"My apologies, Nii San, but we have to tend to something else right now." I heard Yazoo say after coming out of my trance.

"Very well, go on." I said shooing them away. I had to think about how to fix this mess. But how could I do it without error. I didn't like this faltering problem we'd been having.

I suppose that it was a good call appointing Yazoo. **This** would be his area of expertise. He had the ability to stay out of sight and then appear out of nowhere. Loz would probably blunder right away. I couldn't have that. I needed this _therapy_ as one would call it. I needed him to suffer! To taste his pain!

Revenge was and had been my new obsession ever since I burned down that hick village! I couldn't believe that little cadet stabbed me in the back… _literally._ The humiliation still burned like a fresh wound. That's why I had to pay him back with interest before the end. He'd pay for it a hundred times over before I decided it was enough. And not just him! Zackary had to pay too. And not just because he was being a thorn in my side. No. I ought to be thanking him for giving me this marvelous opportunity. But he was the blonde's accomplice in this matter. Not only had he slowed me down with that pointless battle, but he also provided the sword that had gone straight through me and killed mother!

"That horrible little…!" I growled. But I composed myself. After all. Mother hadn't really died. She'd lived on in that pointless, beloved lifestream of this burnt out planet. But not before she'd become a part of me. Not that it really helped me out. That damned blonde bumpkin always managed to stop me at every turn. A simple country boy! Dammit, how did he do it? With help or without it, he always managed to send me back to the lifestream.

"This planet is overdo for destruction." I sighed. "But not before I make sure he sees it."

He had to witness the world washing over in blood first hand. Only then would I truly feel relieved and be able to move on with mother. And maybe I'd even feel some remorse at the loss of a challenge. Perhaps there'd be a new one on the next planet that mother and I came too. One thing was for sure, thanks to Zackary, this little nuisance was finally taken care of…

It had to be done. They were traitors. All of them! Especially Zack! He must've poisoned the cadet against me all those years ago. He stole him from me. There was little hope of either of them turning sides. But I didn't want that anymore. That was a naïve hope. Now I just wanted to bask in their glorious misery. I wanted to destroy him. And the insufferable blonde! He just grinded me down until there was nothing left but the primal urge for vengeance! So I decided I'd take _everything_ he had and get some closure. Some…

I didn't intend to kill him straight off and I doubted killing him would work. This planet had to die before he did. Otherwise it would keep on reviving him! Damn thing!

Now things had to be much more tedious than previously intended. Now I had to capture the boy, throw in some torture here and there while destroying the planet. Possibly kill Zackary in the process and then kill Cloud once the lifestream was gone from this rock. The list had grown significantly, but I suppose intricate plans worked the best. There was no question that I could get it done. I had nothing but time.

"At least things are moving forward." I sighed. Now that Yazoo was going out to find him. All I had to do was tell him not to harm him or even make his presence known before I gave the signal.

The new plan was to find him first of all, track his position from their, learn about all of the surrounding obstacles. Then from there we could figure out how to counter them. Once the obstacles were _removed_ we could move in. I'd tell Yazoo to move and he would get the boy. After that things would get on track towards the bigger picture. But nothing much could be done until I learned of who was surrounding him. There was Tifa, Cid, Vincent… they'd probably extend it to all of AVALANCHE. I didn't quite know about all of them. And Zackary I knew about but he'd also been changed by Hojo. I only knew of his old abilities. And now… dare I say it… he **may** **actually** pose a challenge. I didn't know about his new abilities. There was no… wait.

"Would it be on record somewhere?" I thought out loud.

It was worth a shot. And if not, they'd definitely have files of the AVALANCHE members on record. This was the perfect opportunity to use Kadaj. He could take down any Turk guarding Rufus and force the information out of the paraplegic. It was kind of a long shot, but I happened to know that Shinra never disposed of those records. Not even of those they'd proclaimed K.I.A. That was because the president was paranoid and always believed that they would come back. Hell, they probably had MY file right out in the open since I did keep on coming back.

Now all I had to was to find Kadaj. He had made a habit of just wandering off without saying anything. Not that I cared, but it was so darn inconvenient. All I could do was sigh and hope he was inside.

With many things running through my mind, I went up the steps and passed by Yazoo. I was so caught up in other thoughts that it took me a while to remember I had to tell him not to do anything rash. "Yazoo." I called sternly, not moving or even turning to look at him. I heard his steps halt as well. There was a bit of a pause before I said, "Don't hurt him." Then I continued inside and he continued his trip down the steps of the abandoned fortress.

That took care of that. Now for Kadaj. Where would he be? He didn't really have any particular place to be inside here. I searched for him in the open area in between the great stone walls. But he wasn't out and about anywhere. It was times like this when I started to think if any of this was worth the trouble. But all I had to do to banish those thoughts was think about all of the humiliating defeats that boy made me go through. "How could something so… so… weak always get the best of me?!" I growled under my breath. It was as if his sheer determination was much more powerful than my will. How could someone fighting for the wrong reason _**be**_ so powerful?

None of it made any sense. I was just the one who saw this rock for what it really was. All I wanted was to right the many wrongs the traitors had done towards mother. How could someone fighting for those disgusting things win?

That was how my thoughts always went and I always had to stop before I started thinking dangerously. Sometimes I tried too hard to make sense of it and came to the conclusions that **I** was the one doing wrong. But it couldn't be. The proof was always there and always had been. I just wished I had found those records sooner so I could've spared myself the embarrassment of working under that fat idiot. It also would've saved mother the pain of having to watch me do the enemies bidding for all those years. Now it was time to repent and destroy all of these creatures!

I just wish I could start with the blonde's mother again. But, sadly, she was gone for good. She got what was coming to her. Getting in the way like that. It wasn't like I was going to kill the Cloud at that point in time. No, that intention didn't come until later. The scene always confused me. She just… jumped into it. "Why would someone so monstrous behave like that?" I asked. She was one of the traitors who stole the planet from mother. And yet she… sacrificed herself.

It had to be right about thirteen years ago when it happened.

_The violent orange flames brought a very harsh glare to my eye. The building went up much faster than I'd thought. And now the sight was keeping me mesmerized. The warmth of it was comforting from this distance, but to the people screaming inside, it was merely the introduction to the fires of hell waiting for them. The damned traitors!_

"_What're you doing?!" A small voice screamed._

_I turned away from the fire and stared at the masked blonde who was trying to look firm, however, as soon as I stepped toward him he began to shrink away from me. "Finally got out bed, did you?"_

"_Sh-shut up!" He snapped back in a choked voice. Probably holding back more tears. I smirked and quickened my pace. This little cadet always managed to awaken whatever compassion I had in me. _

"_Does it still hurt?" I asked wrapping my arms around him. "Did you want me to comfort you? Is that why you disobeyed me?" He fought a little, but I ignored it, stripped off his helmet, tossed it, and ran my fingers through his soft hair in an attempt to calm us both down. Sadly, it didn't work. He refused to just rest in my arms. He insisted on struggling. It confused me. He usually loved gentle touches like this. "What's wrong, Cloud?"_

"_Let me go!" He shouted still trying to jerk away from me. _

"_Just tell me what's wrong." I said insistently. I'd completely forgotten about the flames still dancing in the background. There was only him. A part of the reason why I'd ordered him to stay in the Inn, he distracted me so easily._

"_You just burned down someone's house, what do you think you're doing?!" He answered now deciding to kick. He was just flailing in my grasp now. There was nothing he could do. "Just let go of me!"_

"_No. Now I think you'll run away." I sighed walking around the water tower in the center of town. I heard the flames roar as they grew behind me. "I can't let you run away. I told you that." He thrashed more violently and made me stop in my tracks. "You're __**staying**__ with me."_

"_No!" He screamed. I leaned in for a kiss and he pulled away from it as much as he could. I just used the hand on the back of his head to force him back. His lips landed right against mine. He whimpered behind it and tried his best to tear away from it, but he couldn't move. I just skillfully maneuvered my tongue past the obstacles and into his mouth. That definitely won me a shriek. It was stifled, but it was still there. He resisted as much as he could, but I still helped myself to the tasting of his mouth. "N-n-no!" He screamed again when I let him up for air. I kissed him once more, but softly. "I said no!" He shouted punching me as hard as he could in the gut. I'd never expected something like that from him and wasn't at all ready for it. I was startled._

_My eyes went wide when he'd actually got away from me. But they soon narrowed into a glare when he tried to run back to the Inn. He didn't get very far before I caught up to him. I whipped him around to face me and grabbed hold of both his wrists. "Where do you think you're going?" I growled tightening my grip. He winced and bit his lower lip. "I told you, you cannot leave." The anger was swelling up even more. So much so that I tightened my grip to the intensity. _

"_Ah!" He screamed. I stopped in my fit of rage and listened. I could faintly hear the bones in his tiny wrists just about to give. Instantly, I let go and punched him as he did to me… but with a lot less force. It was still enough to make him fall to his knees. I walked around him until I was behind him and unsheathed Masamune. It was my full intention to hit him with the hilt on the back of the head to knock him out. And as I remember, my angle was off. As soon as I brought it down, I heard a scream and then saw something jump in the way of the blade. I saw it as a good thing because the blade would've struck the blonde if something hadn't gotten in the way. It took me a while to realize that the object that had blocked me was a body. A woman! I was disgusted._

_I picked up the body and glared, but it wasn't worth the effort. She was already dead. Grudgingly, I dragged the body over to the flames and tossed her in. A part of me heard the screaming coming from behind me, but I just couldn't register it. So, with that done, I walked over and picked up his helmet. "Would you like this back while I take care of things elsewhere?" I asked bringing it to him. I then found that the screaming had been him. There were tears rolling down his face and he was still screaming about something. "What's the matter now?" I asked genuinely concerned. _

"_Mom!" He shouted. Mom? Was that what he had been saying? What for? I looked at him and saw that he was staring at the fire as he shouted for his mother…_

"_Oh no…"_

Therefore, I'd killed his mother completely by accident. But I didn't regret it afterwards. Not after thinking about it for long. She was only a traitor after all. I couldn't possibly regret something like that. Cloud _was_ very hurt by it, but it didn't matter to me after he had so recklessly attacked me. And then he got exactly what he deserved. Then my thoughts were interrupted by a glimpse of silver in my periphery. "Kadaj." I said before the young man got away again.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I have something I want you to do for me…"

--

**(A/N)** Sorry about the depressing flashback, but I was just going off of the vibes Sephiroth gives. Oh! And I know the Gold Saucer can only be reached from North Corel, so please don't think I'm stupid. Just read on and it will explain. And again, Zack will not be heard from for a little bit, but don't get discouraged. HE WILL RETURN! So, if you made it through this jumpy thing, review. Thank you.


	10. Cloud 5

**(A/N)** So this is still Cloud because his unconscious state wasn't brought on by anything supernatural. So I'm not just picking on Zack. Try to enjoy this one. I promise scatterbrain Zack will be back soon.

--

I woke up to the sound of crackling. The smell of burning wood was heavy in the air. And the dull throb on my head was SO annoying! Why couldn't I just go back to sleep? It was all such a tormenting experience. I kept my eyes closed, but my mind just wouldn't settle. I figured I'd have no choice but to get up, but I was too scared. These men I was with, who were they? Where were they going? How were they planning on getting me back to the others? _Were_ they planning on getting me back to them? The whole situation presented itself with many 'ifs'. And the uncertainty was very unsettling. So I figured it would be best to just stay where I was. But I couldn't stop myself from shivering. It wasn't because I was **that** scared, but it was getting colder by the minute. Were we… outside?

"Herb, you think he's awake yet?" I heard the voice of what sounded like a young man.

"I dunno Alvar." Now _that_ voice sounded familiar. That was the man who hit me in the head. Then he claimed that he'd mistaken me for a bird?! What was that supposed to mean?! I didn't look like a chocobo! Did I?! A lot of people said that, but I always thought they were just being jerks. And the other cadets, I didn't even know what they were talking about anyway! I'd never had strangers say that before. Did that mean it was true?!

"Hey, kid, are you awake?" It must've been Alvar. The other's speech was… flawed. Nonetheless, I refused to answer or even open my eyes. They both seemed nice enough, but I hadn't really been here that long to make that sort of judgment. Everyone always seemed nice at first. And after that, I dunno. "No good, Herb. I think you killed him."

There was a loud clatter. "Yer lyin'!" The older man gasped.

After that I had to try my best not to move with Alvar's fingers on my neck. It was a lot harder than it sounded. And it didn't sound easy to begin with! I couldn't help myself, I was really sensitive there and it tickled so bad as he looked for my pulse. And as if that weren't bad enough, I then failed to hold back a hiss when he touched the bump on my head. "Nah, he's fine." Alvar sighed. "You've gotta be awake now. C'mon." He paused briefly. "We can both see you breathing."

"C'mon lil' fella." I heard the older man now. "We've got food fer ya'. Ya' can't turn that down."

"Herb get back, your beard scares kids." Alvar laughed. They both laughed and pushed each other from the sound of it. "Just go get a bowl of that chili, will ya'?" At the mere mention of it my stomach got ready for a growl. This thing was impossible to hold back. That being said, it broke free and made a loud rumble that I knew they both heard.

"Think it'll revive 'im?" Herb asked coming back with something that smelled wonderful.

"Yeah! He knows he wants it, did you hear that growl?" Alvar chuckled. "How about it, bud?" He said waving the bowl in front of me. The smell of it went straight into my senses and electrified my mind.

I could feel myself twitching, just trying to keep from getting up and devouring the food in front of me. But I couldn't do it! It was just too hard! I just sat up and grabbed at the bowl. However, Alvar pulled back and held it up high. I reached for it, but he was too tall. So I gave up and just sat there feeling stupid for falling for that trick. Now what was going to happen? I couldn't pretend to be unconscious anymore. I was at their mercy. But mostly Alvar. I hadn't eaten all day. I was starving! But I wasn't going to beg. Not yet, anyway. At the moment I was hoping he was only kidding around and would give it to me eventually. There was no reason for him not to. Unless…

"Just give it to 'im Alvar." Herb said from the fire. The source of the crackling sound no doubt.

"Just a second." Alvar answered. "To get it, I want him to do something for us." _I knew it!_ He was acting like all of the others! I shouldn't have fallen for that stupid trick!

"Dun do that to 'im." Herb protested. "Now yer jus' being cruel."

"Stop acting like I'm going to send him to his death." Alvar smiled. "Now, all you have to do… is come sit with Herb and I at the fire. That's it. No strings attached, and nothing but that."

Err… what? Is he serious? That's it? Well that… that was just plain nice. I guess he wasn't a creep after all. He was just, I dunno, leading me on or pulling my leg. I suppose that was okay. At least he wasn't going to force me. No one ever gave me that choice anymore. I always just had to do what I was told, to stay alive, granted… but still.

"Would that be okay?" He asked. "We'd also like it if you talked a bit with us, it's okay if you don't remember anything. But it'd be great if you could just talk."

"Uhh… okay?" I said hesitantly. Did they think that I had amnesia? I didn't think I did. Nothing seemed to be missing from my memory. I got up out of the bed they'd thrown together on the ground and cautiously found a place to sit at the fire. Alvar followed me over with the bowl and gave it to me as soon as he recovered his seat. I stared at him from across the fire just to see that he was a lot younger than Herb. His hair was short and brown, but mostly his face was shaven. I didn't really like beards. Not that I was gonna hold it against Herb, but there was just something so… so primal about them. Nothing against anyone, some people looked good with beards, like Herb. But I preferred seeing people without.

"So… What's yer name, lil' fella?" Herb asked all of the sudden.

"Cloud." I said in between spoonfuls. He paused to look at Alvar. Probably trying to figure out whether I'd given them a fake name or not. But I was just too hungry to put in the effort to convince them. For the cadets I had to show them printed proof and a birth certificate just to prove it was my real name. So I internally shrugged and focused on the chili. It was so good! Spicy, but not too spicy. Heck, I didn't even know what kinds of spices people put in chili, but whatever they'd put in there it was perfect. I knew there was some sort of meat in it, probably bovine of some sort. At least I hoped. Then all I knew that was in there was the kidney beans. Now they were cooked all the way through. And the meat was fresh. This was nothing like the food in the cafeteria.

"Well. That there's a good name." Herb said energetically. That took me by surprise. Usually people laughed or made jokes about how my mother must've hated me. She didn't hate me. She named me Cloud because I was… '_The embodiment of her highest dream'._ The dream that she always thought was just out of reach, like the clouds in the sky. Kinda cheesy, but nice, right?

"How did you end up out in the field all by yourself?" Alvar asked.

"Uh…" That one I had to piece together again. It still happened to fast for me to be certain, but… "I think I bumped the airlock and fell out of the ship." I mused.

"Ship? Do you mean an airship?!" Alvar gasped. I nodded quizzically. Why did that matter?

"Shoot! Yer lucky ter be alive, kiddo!" Herb shouted. Now they were both staring at me as though I were about to sprout wings and admit that I was an angel or something. That would just be crazy.

"It was just taking off as it happened." I said with my mouth full. At least I think it was. Either way, I wasn't going to say that to them. I remembered what I remembered. That was all that they were going to hear. There was no need to make them worry. I was fine. It'd be a waste of energy.

"Oh. So you didn't fall very far." Alvar said thinking about how everything could've worked out. Probably checking the laws of physics to see how long I would've had to be falling to not get hurt hardly at all.

"Yer still lucky." Herb shot in. "You coulda landed on somethin' wrong and then how hurt d'you think you'd be?" He asked. "Best thank the planet fer smilin' on ya'."

"I guess so…" I mumbled. He was right. I could've easily been dead, or even maimed! I may have stumbled around a bit longer than I thought. That would make the fall longer, wouldn't it? Aw! This second-guessing myself was no good. It didn't really matter how it happened. What's done is done. The only thing that matter was that I had lived… one way or another.

"Geez, Herb, he knows he's lucky." Alvar said casually. "I mean he lucked out twice. He didn't die from the fall, and we showed up so he didn't end up out here all alone." He finished and then sipped a drink.

My mouth suddenly dried up and I wanted that as well. I hadn't had anything to drink in a while and the chili was dehydrating me a bit. The food was moist, but even the small amount of liquid in it was drying me out. I think he could tell too. He was looking right at me, but I was staring at whatever he was drinking. I didn't even see where he'd gotten it. I was so hungry I'd already finished my food, now I was thirsty. I hope he wasn't gonna make me do anything else for it. Not that I didn't trust him, but I was in no mood. I'd just beg if it came down to it. This was a matter of life and death!

"You thirsty?" He asked even though he already knew. I still nodded, just humoring him. "'Kay! Catch!" He said picking up a bottle and tossing it. I really had to jump out of the way to catch it. Apparently Herb was the one with the aim here. The memory of his accuracy caused my head to throb in complaint.

"Ugh…" I sighed. "How big was that rock anyhow?" I spoke in a low murmur, but Herb still heard me.

"Sorry 'bout that, fella." He chuckled. "I really did think ya' were a lil' chocobo bird. Just wanderin' 'round without his mummy."

"You're always doing that." Alvar said suddenly. "He finds young chocobos out here and there all the time. The guy has such a weak spot for the little things that he tries to save them. And only a few make it to the chocobo farm. In fact, more than half the time the 'mummy' shows up and takes her baby back. And not very nicely, mind you."

"You'd feel the same way iffin there were an ounce of empathy in ya'!" Herb answered a bit defensively.

After that I faded out for a minute. Sounded like they were just gonna argue anyway. The conversation didn't really affect me in any way. So I looked at my drink. The bottle read _'Coca Cola'_. Nice! That was my favorite drink! I hadn't had it in a while either. The barracks didn't have it anywhere in stock. It was all in the main building. Getting it now was so… unexpected. But I wasted no time in unscrewing the cap and guzzling down about a fourth of the bottle. I could've drank more but I didn't want it to be gone so quickly. That'd be so disappointing. Chances were that they had more, but I didn't want to ask. It'd be a bit rude. Mother always told me just to take what you were given and never ask for more. That was how everyone was taught in Nibelheim. Not that I got to practice those manners very much. We never really saw anyone. Never left the house much, hardly anyone came over. And the proper behavior was different depending on whether you were a guest or a host. I think I got to be an assistant to the host more than I got to be a guest. People avoided us. She never told me why… not for real anyway. When I was a kid, she said it was because of that creepy guy always hanging around the house. Once he was gone, she'd change the subject whenever I asked. It was only recently that I found out it was because of me. It all added up. No one in the village liked me very much. All because I was a bastard.

"You tellin' me you wouldn't pity on the lil' fella without a momma?" I heard Herb as I tuned back in.

"That's not what I said, Herb" Alvar answered.

"I know, I know." The older man sighed. Then he looked directly at me before he spoke again. "You still got yer mum?" He asked.

"Mm-hmm." I answered with a nod.

"Well then, yer lucky thrice." He sighed. "My mum abandoned me." He paused. "She di'int want anythin' to do with me. Fortunately some stranger foun' me an' raised me."

Why was he telling me this? I already trusted them. What did he expect? **Me** to spill _my_ guts? I couldn't. What if they acted like everyone else when they found out I had no father?! The guys… well… I didn't tell many of them except my few friends. And they didn't care. But they grew up in a place where that happened a lot. Herb and Alvar looked more like they were from a rural area, like Nibelheim. It's worth a shot I guess. But only if they asked me. I wasn't just going to spill it casually. That'd be…

"Herb, that story gets sadder with each telling. It doesn't even need detail. No child should have to go through that. It's inhuman." Alvar said sipping his drink again.

"Amen." I mumbled while looking down at mine. But if I had to guess, I'd say that Herb actually knew his mother before she left him. I never knew my father.

"Herb wait. Do you hear something?" Alvar asked standing up.

I listened as well. It was only for a moment now, but when I thought about it… the noise had been in the background for a while. It sounded like the blades of a helicopter spinning. But now it was silent. I looked at the others. They'd both noticed it. Now we were all wary of it. I was for a moment anyway. But then I noticed that we were camping underneath the Gold Saucer. "No wonder it's been bright." I said a little surprised I hadn't noticed earlier. And being a total scatterbrain, I changed the subject. "Where were you headed anyhow?"

"We're goin' to Gongaga." Herb answered forgetting the noise as well. "Same route as always. We crossed them mountains and move along this valley. This here is always a stop fer us. Provides light and a guy we see to resupply before going through Cosmo Canyon." He then looked perplexed about something. "Been wonderin' where that guy is."

"You do this yearly?" That was something different. I'd heard of people doing that, but I'd never actually met anyone who did it. I kinda wondered what for but I wasn't gonna pry.

--

It had been an hour since anyone last said anything. To me anyway. I tuned it out, but they had started arguing about something else. I was left to my own devices and with nothing to do. It was even too bright to just stare at the stars. There was nothing to do. I sighed loudly, but they didn't pay any attention. They were too internally involved. I had to find the patience to sit there quietly and wait for something, anything to happen. Compared to everything that happened yesterday, this was… well it wasn't exciting or terrifying in the least. The lack of adrenaline was great. But a bit of a downer.

"Uh…" I started with gasp when something pushed me from behind, but I soon realized it was nothing. "What?" I asked the bird behind me.

"Wark." It answered in response. That could've meant anything! What did it want? "Wark." It chirped again taking the collar of my shirt in it's beak and dragging me up.

"Wha!" That took me off guard. "What's it doing?!" I said a little surprised. The arguing in the background stopped. And the two men looked like deer in the headlights.

"She aint never dun that before." Herb answered getting up. "What she doin' Alvar?"

"I don't know. Zaneth*, put him down." He said in a stern, commanding tone. He sounded like a completely different person.

"WARK!" She opened her beak to say before picking me up again and running towards the other bird. Why was she doing this?! Why me? Why was it always me? I mean, when I wanted a little more excitement, being carried away by a bird wasn't what I meant. Not exactly.

"Hey! Come back!" I heard an unfamiliar voice call from behind. But the bird wasn't looking back.

The other bird started running when we passed it and the others had to chase them. They were also accompanied by whoever had shown up after I was dragged off. But I still couldn't see. And nothing I did was making Zaneth let go. I tried kicking and thrashing around, just trying to get loose. But nothing helped. My clothes weren't even ripping. Not to mention my growing terror of this gigantic bird. I'd never seen chocobos up this close, they were a lot bigger than I thought. Really! First the bed, and now this! I was five foot three, give or take, and this thing still kept me dangling in the air! If it were her intention, she could probably kill me! As far as I knew, chocobos weren't normally violent. But I couldn't be sure. What did I know about chocobos?

"Wark." She said finally dropping me. She attempted to be careful but I was still squirming and ended up falling on my butt.

"Ow…" I sighed. She could probably tell I was agitated. And was more than likely ignoring it. She kneeled down and nuzzled me while kwehing softly. "What're you doing?" I groaned leaning away from her. But only to bump into the other chocobo I'd forgotten about. This one used it's beak to carefully nip at my hair while putting it back into place. What was going on?!

"Get away from him you stupid beasts!" A man shouted stopping short of breath. This man had odd markings on his cheekbones and really vibrant red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. I didn't think I'd seen him before either so what did he want and why was he here?

I didn't get any time to ask before Zaneth knelt down and wrapped her wing around my shoulders, pulling me close up against her feathery body. Then the other one jumped out in front of us and let it's feathers prick forward while screeching and flapping it's wings at the stranger. It didn't look like we'd gone too far for everyone to run. I could still see the fire. So what was the point of all this? What were these crazy birds doing? What did they want with me? And why didn't they like this new guy so much? Nothing was making sense anymore. Besides the fact that somebody was **totally** getting me back for complaining about being bored.

"What's goin' on here?" Herb asked finally catching up. "What's gotten inta you two?! You aint never acted this crazy before."

Alvar came up soon after. "Zaneth, you let him go. C'mon, what's with you?" He continued to try and reason with the bird while Herb looked to the newcomer suspiciously.

"I reckon it's you they dun like. That bein' the case, who are ya'?"

"Geez. Of all the tedious things? Introductions? So overrated. How about we just talk objectives?" The man answered rather rudely.

"Well then fine. Whatchu want?" Herb replied with the same tone.

"Look man, I don't want any trouble. I was just ordered to come here and bring lil' Cloudy there back to his buddies who lost him. Alright? It was a legitimate order from _Rufus Shinra _, Who got this little favor asked of him by AVALANCHE. Because they neglected to realize he fell out of the ship before taking off for Mideel. That's all this is." He sighed. "As for 'Purdy and Polly' over there, I dunno what their problem is with me. I pose no threat to you. I kid you not."

"Zaneth." Alvar kept saying. But the bird would not let me budge. By that time I'd calmed down and realized that she had no intention of hurting me. That and it was very warm under her wing. I didn't know what the clothes I was wearing were supposed to be made out of, but I was freezing in them. There was no insulation to them, and I was getting a bit uncomfortable wearing them. No one hade said anything yet, but they _**were**_ giving off the **wrong** impression. But beneath the wing of this great bird I was warm and protected. I felt cradled and her breathing was rocking me gently… uh-oh!

"Okay. Not that I'm complaining but… could somebody please get me outta here?" I asked trying to keep my head from lulling against the bird.

"What's the matter, bud?" Herb answered losing interest in the other man.

"I don't wanna fall asleep, but I am." I groaned. It was getting hard to keep my eyes open. I could feel myself slipping away, there was next to no stopping it. My vision was blurring, my breathing was slowing down as was my heartbeat. I made work of wriggling around trying to get the bird to flap or something. That did nothing but make her cover me up completely. "Hey!"

"Heheh…" Herb chuckled. "She's treatin' you like a fussy chick. Gaia! Alvar, she dun adopted herself a new baby!" What? Adopted by a bird?! No way! Just no! "Replacin' that green one they lost, poor thing."

"H-Herb…" I said muffled by feathers. "Help!"

"Alright, alright." Said the older man. I heard him take a step forward and then the other bird squawked again. "Rikash*, what's eatin' ya'?"

"It's probably my fault." I heard the stranger say. Then it sounded like he took a step or two back. But it didn't seem to work.

"Are you armed?" Alvar asked. "Because they don't take kindly to strangers with weapons." There wasn't much noise after that. I couldn't hear over the squawking. There was nothing else I could do to fight off the urge to sleep. There was nothing wrong with dozing for a few minutes I suppose. So I just shut my eyes. Only for a moment…

--

"Wake up!" Was the first thing I heard as someone shook me awake. "Geez!" It was the red haired man. "First the birds, now the sleepy Blondie!"

"Quit yer complainin' an just get this thing movin'." There was Herb. He never failed to just stick out. By this time I could probably pick him out of a crowd anywhere. His voice was just so… defined.

"What's going on?" I asked a little dazed.

"Well, this guy had some stick that dun spooked the chocobos. Then we had 'im hand it over to Alvar for safe keepin'. So then he asked to take you and I says, if you gonna take him, we go too I said. So he dun reckon he have no choice and now this young fella gonna take us up to the Gold Saucer to meet our supplier. 'Cause he dun get held up and such doin' business. Ya' see he dun sent Alvar a message over that there cellular phone. And now well… ya' know the rest."

"I still don't see why I have to bring those birds up in the helicopter." The redhead grumbled while fumbling with the controls.

"We dun leave nobody behind. That's why." Herb answered bluntly.

It was interesting to see the chocobo calmly standing up in the vehicle but… "Where's Zaneth?" I didn't see her anywhere. The one standing was Rikash. I could only tell because Rikash had a brown spot on his head. Nicely blending with the rest of his yellow feathers. Whereas Zaneth was just pure yellow.

"What do you think you're leaning up against?" Alvar sighed. He looked like he was falling asleep too. How could he be doing that while he was guarding their stuff? Wait!

"What?!" I asked just as it took off. After that I shut my eyes again, it wasn't to fall asleep, but I had to try and keep from getting sick. I couldn't do it. I wouldn't allow myself to get motion sickness in front of all of these people. I'd die of embarrassment. It'd be a short ride anyway. The Gold Saucer wasn't too high up from where we were, was it? Though I suppose it didn't really matter, I tried my best to keep from getting sick and I still ended up getting queasy.

"Hey!" Came the shrewd voice of the redhead again. "You done dreaming?"

"Huh?" I asked staring at everyone staring back at me. They were all standing up and packing to go while I was still on the floor trying not to puke. "How long has it been?"

"Only a couple minutes." Alvar answered picking up a pack. "There's nothing wrong with your head, right?" He asked. I carefully touched my hand to the bandage. It stung, but I didn't think the bump was bad enough to cause any problem like that. "You're alright? No lingering drowsiness, symptoms of head trauma? History of narcolepsy?"

"No…" I answered thinking back on it. There was nothing wrong with my head and I didn't have a history of narcolepsy. Shinra would've never taken me if I did. That'd be a dumb move on anyone's part.

"Huh… then maybe you're just tired. C'mon out. Zaneth needs to get out too, but she won't leave without you." He said stepping out. I had to guess Herb and the other man had gone to find this supplier while I wasn't looking. "Just try to make it about another hour. Then we'll get rooms at the inn."

"Okay." I yawned. With a quick stretch, I mustered up the strength to hop out of the helicopter. And then something hit me. It was something so devastating that it made me slump over in discontent. I had to guess Alvar saw me frowning like that. But I didn't want to bother him with it. It was a petty, kinda bratty thing. But I couldn't help myself. I'd gotten so caught up with the whole Zaneth problem that I'd completely forgotten I'd left _**my soda**_ on the ground near the campfire.

"You want this?" Alvar asked handing me something. It was **the** bottle! My bottle!

Oh joy! Paradise was not yet lost! How fortunate it is to have a freakin' mind reader around. I'd be grateful. Very, very grateful. Not eternally, but still… what did it matter now? I got my cola back! So I was as happy as I could be at that time. There was nothing left at the back of my mind nagging me. I just walked along sipping my soda as Alvar led the way with the packs on Zaneth's back.

"Oh, hello…" Someone to my left said suddenly.

I looked to see a complete stranger staring at me. At least I was pretty sure it was me. But just to be sure I looked around first. There wasn't anyone else at the entrance. So I hesitantly waved while sipping my soda. That made him grin and for some reason walk straight up to me getting right up in my face.

"My, don't you have the bluest eyes?" He said in an odd tone that I vaguely recognized.

"No… they're just… blue." I shrugged. What was he? Stupid? Wait… that was something somebody had said that made a red flag go up in my mind. "Okay, I'm gonna have to take a few steps back." I said as I did so. That made him look confused.

"Are you lost?" He asked.

"No. I'm with him." I answered pointing to Alvar. Alvar looked over from a few yards away. I don't even remember how he got all the way over there. But once he saw what was going on he dropped a couple things on the ground just to run over to… uh…

"Hey." He said to the other man. "Is there a problem here? Nope? Okay, c'mon Cloud let's go." And without even waiting for a reply he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back over to the waiting chocobo. "That was close." He sighed.

I felt my head slightly tilt to one side, just something I did when I was confused. The red flag was an indicator that he was right, but for what reason? Something wasn't adding up. The guy said something that was along the lines of what the guys said all the time. And then usually something bad happened shortly after. Well… I guess not bad. But unsettling.

"You need to stay close." Alvar said suddenly. I broke from my thoughts and saw that we had made it through the gate. "Geez. Maybe I can relax a little now, Herb!" He shouted waving and walking over a little quickly. I had to stride to keep up. Zaneth stopped following Alvar just to stand and wait for me. And when he got too far ahead she got behind me and pushed at my back with her beak. That definitely made me quicken my pace. "Herb, can I talk to you?" He said once we both got there. "Cloud, you stay with Drake. This'll only take a second."

Drake? Who was Drake? I looked around and saw a man feeding the chocobos something out of his pocket. I guess that dark-haired man was Drake. So I moved a little closer to him when I saw a bunch of guys looking my way. Whereas Drake didn't even seem to notice I was there. Being invisible was better than being stared at. It must've been because I was wearing women's clothes. Though I didn't think they stood out that much, it wasn't like I was wearing a dress, it must've been odd to them.

"Alright Drake." Herb said while the two came back from whispering in the corner. That really was quick. My curiosity made me wonder what they had talked about. "You got any clothes?"

"Certainly!" Drake answered finally taking notice of other people's presence. "What kind of clothes do you need exactly?"

"Why the size fer this lil' fella." The older man replied putting a hand on my shoulder. "And uh… with any other… helpful modifications you kin supply." He whispered. Probably thought I didn't hear.

--

Within a matter of minutes I found myself looking, if possibly, stranger than before. The women's clothes were gone, but now I was wearing what looked like a Halloween costume. The whole ensemble started with a cerulean jacket with thin, layered silver armor at the shoulders. The back of it even stretched below and odd looking belt made of black leather. The edges of it were trimmed in grey and the tail of it was cut in an odd pattern I'd never seen before. It buttoned up starting at the center and then listing to the right slightly before coming together at the neck. And the neck had a long, white ribbon… scarf… thing wrapped around it, knotting in the back and with the loose ends dangling freely behind me. They'd also given me gloves that were the same color of blue on three of the fingers, but the middle finger and thumb were the grey. They were also held tightly in place by the silver cuffs of the jacket. And then! As if the rest of it weren't enough, I was now wearing white pants with black, leather boots that came up to my knees! Herb insisted that it was a… jockey's uniform. But I, personally thought I looked like a fruity viscount! How was this even a step up from the women's clothes?! I really wanted to say something, but at the same time didn't want to sound ungrateful. Although it was hard with Alvar there being a mind reader. I guess there was a downside to that.

"Now, Cloud, it's not… the toughest look out there, but they'll keep you warmer than the other clothes." He said trying not to sound too patronizing.

"That they will." Added Drake. "There's also a trick to getting it on and off for uh… certain reasons." He coughed the last part. "The boots will come off easy, but that's about it. Otherwise, the gloves won't come off unless the jacket is removed, that's why they're so thin. To get the jacket off, you need to untie the scarf and unbutton it… obviously. But both the jacket and the pants can't be taken off unless the belt is taken off first. And there's even a trick to getting the belt off." He then whispered something to Herb and then looked back at me. "But you don't need to know that until later. The night is young."

Why did he bother telling me all of that? And if it was that complicated, why bother giving me _this_ outfit at all?! It, again, gave off a certain impression that I **did not** want to give off. It may have been different if the color scheme wasn't so… so… standoutish! The biggest problem was the fact that the colors were bright and noticeable. The other outfit was black at least! And now I was wearing white pants! Tight pants! One could almost call these things tights, but they weren't. It was weird.

"What are we waiting here for?" Drake asked after a long moment of silence. "Let's go down to the chocobo square and put down some bets."

"Hold on there Drake." Herb said looking around. "Where'd that red haired fella go?"

"Over here." The young man grumbled walking up to us after we exited the bathroom we used for me change. He didn't look happy.

"Where ya' been?" Herb demanded.

"Oh I don't know. I guess I was just cleaning up the chocobo mess left in the helicopter!" He growled. "**That** is why I don't allow animals in there!" He stopped and then stared at me. "And what the hell did you do to Cloud?!" Ah-hah! He didn't like it either.

"We took some necessary precautions." Alvar answered glaring at him. When the other man glared back it felt like a fight was going to break out.

"Guys, hold it." Drake said stepping between the two. "Let's just go. What's done is done. Okay?"

"Fine." Both Alvar and the stranger said at once.

"Okay. Herb, you and Alvar ought to bring Zaneth and Rikash down there and enter in a race." Drake sighed. "I'll stay with Cloud and watch with this guy." He pointed to the redhead.

"Shouldn't we go up to the ghost square and get a room at the inn first?" Alvar asked.

"We need GP for that." Drake answered as he began to walk away. "And the easiest way to do that is go to the chocobo square and win something to hawk for GP"

--

I didn't like the chocobo square. It was really loud and there were a lot of people. And when I say people, I mean drunk idiots. Not many women. Though I suppose this wasn't their crowd. And it certainly wasn't mine. But there was nowhere else to go with me having no GP, not to mention Drake and the newcomer were watching me like hawks. It made one wonder where they thought I would run off to. I wouldn't be so stupid as to run off by myself in an area I didn't know. Oh no. I learned from the last time. And I wasn't keen on getting stuck in another box. That was one traumatic experience. One that I did not intend to even come **close** to repeating. That, and I was trying my best not to think of the guys while packed so tightly together with all of these men. But it was nearly impossible. This crowd made me feel like there was nowhere to go, which made me think of them, which led to me thinking, 'What would they do if they saw me wearing this?'

But all I had to remember was that I was safe as long as I was with someone. In all truth it would be the smartest thing to stay with the group and not get separated.

"Uhh…" I started with a sigh. My powers of observation allowed me to see that the race hadn't even started yet. "Drake? Is there anywhere to sit down?" I asked beginning to feel my leg's complaints. It was unbelievable. We'd been here for a half an hour and the competitors weren't even at the gate yet. What could they possibly be doing down there? Wait… "Drake?" I asked again beginning to look up. "Hey, Drake?!" I turned around to look, but no one was there. At least no one I knew. Not even the redhead stranger guy. "Hey!" Where'd they go?! They left me all by myself?!

Oh Gaia! I was separated from the group!

"Drake!" I shouted trying to make my way through the crowd. I'd managed to make it a few feet before bumping into a man who towered over me. "Umm… E-excuse me?" I said tapping him slightly. He turned around rather abruptly, didn't even look at me at first and tried his best to stay upright. "Sir?" I said taking a cautious step back. But much to the misfortune of me the man grabbed me by the shoulders and tried to use me as a trashcan to binge in. I gave out a little yelp before dodging the only way I could. It was close but by tightly hugging the man it only just missed my back. "Ah!"

I let go of the man and didn't care when he fell on his drunk ass! Carefully, I inched around the mess all the while trying not to heave myself. Thank the planet that by some miracle none of got on my fruity boots. I didn't really care if they got dirty, but there was a limit! Besides, these things were shiny. I didn't want to get them grubby with alcohol induced vomit. So I went back the way I came and leaned against the railing. That must've been a sign or somethin'. I'd almost forgotten that the best thing to do when you're lost is to stay put and wait for someone to find you.

"Hey there!" I heard an unfamiliar voice exclaim.

Not anyone! Oh man! I could just tell by the pitch of the man's voice that he was a creep! I just rolled my eyes and ignored him.

"I said hello." I heard him again only a lot closer. "Uh-oh. I think we're getting the cold shoulder guys."

That got a slight reaction out of me. 'Guys'. That meant there was more than one, which equaled multiple creeps! No! I just had to take a deep breath. There was no way I was gonna be treated this way here. All I had to do was not play into their game. I could do this. Right? I could be mellow.

"Well, well… what do we have here?" One of the men said coming right up behind me and grabbing my ass! What?! Who did he think he was?! I couldn't help it. I just snapped.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I asked whirling around with a glare that obviously showed the emotion burning deep inside me. It was my hope that at that point they would back off. But they didn't. "Do you think that this is okay?!"

"Yeah." They all almost said in unison.

"Ugh!" I groaned. Their breath smelled like alcohol. "Geez! Race hasn't even started and you're already sauced and building up a harassment suit!" I said waving my hand in the air in front of me to try and get rid of the smell. "Who do you idiots think you are?! I mean of all of the disrespectful, vulgar…! And me?! You're men! And I'm a boy! It doesn't make sense!" By that point I'd stopped making sense and was simply carrying on about nothing. And probably making a scene. But I didn't care. I wanted people to take notice and possibly get these punks away from me. It was the very least I could hope for, but no. Only a few people were taking notice over the surrounding noise. "I'm a minor! What would you do if the authorities caught you doing this? It's wro-"

"Shh…" One of them said cupping a hand to my mouth. "We won't tell anyone if you won't."

I felt my eyes narrow back from shock to a glare. That was it. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I didn't like the sound of it. I kicked forward and reached as far as I could so I could hit my mark which just happened to be the mid section of the sorry sap standing in front of me. Then I wrenched it back and nailed the man holding me in the groin. As expected, the jerk folded like a card table. I took the stance that the instructors just taught us and prepared myself for anything. I may not have been a very confident person, and I didn't have much experience, but I could surely take a handful of drunks if I had to. However, they refused to take me seriously. That really ground it until I found myself being grabbed at by the whole circle of them. Gaia, you could tell they were drunk! It was even so bad to say that all I had to do was duck and two of them bashed their heads together. They went down and then I jumped to avoid a couple of them grabbing at my legs. Big mistake on their part. I landed on their hands and put just enough weight on it to not break them. Any serious injury would make it look like assault on my part instead of self defense. And I only had to lose focus for a second before someone grabbed me from behind and their arms wrapped around mine with my legs off the ground. Well, if they were gonna play that way, I kicked both legs outward and hit two of them coming at me and then let the back of my head meet my would-be captor's mouth. After that I was on the ground again. I stared straight forward and punched one of them right in the smug face and sent him flying backwards into another guy. And then that man, red in the face, picked him up and hit him too. It was turning into some sort of bar fight. Before long, everyone was joining in.

I was so sure that I could handle this that once I was hit it was a shock. I flew into the railing and heard something in my back that made me twinge. "You ready to cooperate yet?" Asked one of the bloodied men. I gave a look that told to just go straight into the inferno because I wasn't gonna put up with it. He even had the audacity to reach down and try to pick me up. Why couldn't they understand I **did not** want to be touched?! I swatted his hand away and did a sweep kick to have a quick exchange of position. Now he was on the ground while I smirked down at him. After that I couldn't be sure what happened. All I knew is that I was off my feet again, in the air, and _two_ men had me. Each having hold of one arm. They'd finally figure out that this way I couldn't escape no matter how much I kicked. But I still thought it was worth a shot. And at this point it wasn't to escape. It was to keep any other men from getting near me. "Would you just stop making a fuss!" I heard someone say. I didn't see who. My eyes were closed to avoid all the smug looks.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. I tried my best and it wasn't enough. It's never enough!

"Just relax." Came another voice. Just shut up! "There's no need to be scared." Someone laughed. I couldn't believe this was going on in public and no one was helping me. It made me wonder if Herb and Alvar were in the midst of chewing out Drake for letting this happen. "Now hold still."

I opened my eyes to have them widen in fright and confusion. One of the men was standing right in front of me. His face was close to mine, really close. Much too close! "NO!" I yelled using the full extent of my voice hoping it would carry to someone. Anyone who would stop this. I kept turning away from the man just to disobey what he'd said. I didn't know what he was trying to do but he was intent on doing it. He forced me to stay still by firmly clamping his hand on my jaw.

"Hold it!" Someone shouted just in the nick of time. The voice was somewhat familiar, but no one who I'd seen in the last hour or so. "What do you morons think you're doing?!" Whoever they were, they sounded furious. "Release him."

"Don't be ordering us around!" Some of them answered.

"I'll order you however I like!" Came the blunt reply. Their sass wasn't helping with his anger. "Now release him or I'll cut every last one of your throats!" With that comment, a man stepped out of the crowd, he was serious. Sword in hand and a murderous look in his eyes. His presence seemed to attract a lot of attention. The entire crowd had stopped in their brawl as soon as his voice projected over the stadium. His hair was cut short in some areas while his bangs hung in his face covering his left eye. Another thing to take note of was that his hair was a copper color and his eyes were a deep blue. His clothing mostly consisted of reds and blacks and he, also, wore knee-high boots.

"You… You're supposed to be dead!" Someone stammered.

"Well it appears I'm not." That reply came out as a bit more snarky than before. "Now, all I ask is that you let the boy go before there's unnecessary bloodshed. Alright?"

There was a bit of a pause before I was thrown at his feet. "You want him, you can have him!" One of them said as they all ran off.

"Right." The newcomer sighed. "Get up." He ordered. Kinda uselessly because he helped me up after saying so. "Not a word to anyone out of any of you!" He said to address basically everyone there. "C'mon."

"But I-"

"Don't say anything, just move!" He barked. I didn't understand what was going on. And I didn't want to leave without saying anything to Herb and Alvar. But this guy scared me a little, so I was willing to do what he said as long as it kept me alive.

--

The night was now accompanied by complete and total darkness as this man took me somewhere. But I didn't know where. The only reason it was dark was because I was blindfolded. There wasn't much point in saying anything either. Whenever I tried to talk to him he shushed me. I couldn't understand why. I had questions just like anyone else would. Though he probably wouldn't answer them. No one seemed to. But… I mostly wanted to know where he was taking me and how we were getting there. I could tell that we were moving, but I couldn't tell what was moving us. Whatever it was, it was a smooth ride. My motion sickness was hardly acting up at all.

"Okay." The man said setting me down. But I wasn't let go. I was kinda dragged over to something. I couldn't tell what it was. But I could feel him grabbing my wrists and pulling them behind me. Then something was raveled around them so tightly I couldn't move them. "What's going on?!" I asked almost stunned. Gaia! I'd just been tied to a post!

"Stop. It's not what you think." The man sighed taking the blindfold off. I winced a little when he pulled at my hair. It took my eyes a moment to adjust, but everything came into focus within a matter of seconds and his face became clear. I'd seen him somewhere before. Where was it?! It was on the tip of my tongue. Wait a minute!

"You're the man from the gate!" The man who made that stupid comment about my eyes! "Who are you exactly and why am I tied up?" I demanded. I had a right to know. He'd abducted me for no reason! And now Herb… Alvar… Zaneth! All of them! They probably thought I was dead!

"I'll tell you what I can, but you have to promise to calm down a little." He said sitting down to be on my level. "You don't know me?" He asked. I shook my head. Obviously not. That was a dumb question. "Well then…" His eyes looked me over closely in a way that made me uneasy. "You can stop being so tense. I talked to the merchant, they know where you are… except the redhead. He's the whole reason I took you out of there."

"I don't understand." I answered.

"It's complicated. So it's good that you're lost. And sadly, you're going to stay that way. But I can say that the dolt wouldn't know… quite how to _handle_ this delicate situation in the way it requires." I didn't respond, I just pulled at the restraints. They made a small noise that I hardly picked up. Odd thing was he heard it too. "Are you scared of me?" He asked. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"So what if I do?" I replied. "It's not like I can leave, can I?"

"If I untie you, will you run away?" He asked. "Because I won't stop you." I didn't know what to say to that. "Think this over." He said standing up and walking to the back of the post. "Because if you go off on your own you will die. Not by my hand, but remember there are people after you. And you've got enough bandages already." That definitely made me think. I'd forgotten that I was being pursued. "Although…" He started again. "With the man who's after you being the way he is, I don't think bandages will cover it. You may need a cast or two before it's done."

"Okay, okay! I'm partially convinced!" I answered to get him to stop. He gave me a quizzical look. "I won't run away. So untie me, please."

"Understood." He answered while giving the knot one pull to let it loose. "Name's Kozue."

"Cloud." I answered back.

"Nice belt, Cloud." He said gesturing towards it. "Did the merchant ever tell you how to get it off?"

I went silent again. Almost completely dumbfounded. Oh crap! "No!" I gasped.

--

**(A/N)** Okay. This chapter was a bit longer but I hope it came out okay. And to restate what was said in different terms. Haha, Cloud! You're stuck being a "Fruity Discount." So, if you liked the chapter, you can just go ahead and review with the handy dandy button right down there. Please and thank you. *(Psst!)* Zaneth and Rikash are names out of 'The Immortals' series By Tamora Pierce. I highly recommend it.


	11. Kozue

**(A/N)** Sorry, still no Zack. This is an erm…. "Kozue" point of view. But Zack will hopefully be back and well enough for the next odd numbered chapter. A.K.A. Comin' up after Cloud. Hopefully you'll all enjoy this one as well. Let me know.

--

I couldn't believe this! This boy was going to become the savior of the planet?! …Well I must say he was off to a good start. Uh… let's see here. He panicked out in the wasteland, was attacked by dogs, bitten by a dog, easily put to sleep, captured by **Loz**, shot, injected with a disease, trapped in a box, burned in the engine room, I wasn't even going to mention the clothes, fell out of the airship, hit by a rock, adopted by a chocobo, given outlandish clothes, started a fight, and almost got raped. How could I not get involved when I did? Not to mention Angeal was screaming at me to do something! He was such an unfortunate little boy. Even though he'd already caused me enough trouble. Him **and** Zack. They were both so needy! Couldn't help themselves an ounce! But I guess Zack could at least keep himself afloat. All of his problems were coming from this boy! Augh! Why did I agree to this?! Was redemption worth babysitting an infant?! A hormonal infant! A very unaware, hormonal, infantile… he was just a mess. Someone had to be at his side at all times or he'd be shafted in no time! How did a child grow up to be so oblivious?

Well… I guess it was justified. He _was_ a country boy after all.

But with that in mind I couldn't believe he'd kept his virginity so long at the barracks! Zack wasn't always around. So how did he do it? It was a complete mystery to everyone. Even before this… incident. I mean, Angeal and I heard people talking about him in the hallway, we heard **Sephiroth** talking about him! And with all the things that were said, by far, Sephiroth had the best things to say. It was such an enigma. Oh geez!

"Hey kid, stop hyperventilating. That belt will come off eventually." I hadn't dealt with one of those before, but there had to be a trick to it. How hard could it be? "Come over here and I'll cut it off you."

"No!" He answered back in the same panicky voice I'd been hearing for the past hour. "There's no space, you'd cut me!"

"Okay. But you're going to get into a lot of trouble if you keep on wearing that." I sighed. I couldn't believe that I had revealed myself for this kid? There was no way all of those people were going to keep their mouths shut. I'd just compromised the element of surprise. I just had to hope that when Rufus found out there were no hard feelings for what I'd done. It was his father's company at the time, but that didn't mean much to him. Besides, president Shinra was so fat Rufus probably had to do everything for him anyway.

"What am I supposed to do?!" The young boy gasped.

"Cloud. Just… if you're going to shoot down every idea I pitch to you then please calm down a bit." This was getting a little redundant. "It's not the first time somebody's been stuck in clothes they don't like."

"Other clothes didn't give people the impression that they were gay!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "That's the impression you're going to give no matter _what_ you wear." He stopped pacing and ranting to stare and I regretted saying it. But it was the truth.

"Why do you say that?" He asked more confused than hurt.

I agitatedly slapped a hand to my forehead. This guy couldn't even tell when he'd been insulted. "Nothing, never mind; forget I said anything." I had hoped that was the end of it but he kept on staring and pestering me about it. Still, I wasn't about to say anything even hinting toward the fact that I'd just insulted him. "Look… Cloud, if you can't understand what I just said then you aren't going to know." Geez Angeal! This kid was annoying. And he was blonde, kind of stupid, and cutesy. I could hardly stand to look at him. I didn't _usually_ fancy those types anyway. After all of those stories, who would've known they didn't do him justice. He was actually ten times worse than what people said. Just a clingy, backwater bumpkin. Probably the kind that baked cakes, among other things, with his mother in the kitchen. He seemed the type.

"Kozue?" I heard him ask suddenly. "How come you were nice to me at the Gold Saucer but now you hate me?" Hated him? That's what he thought? I was annoyed but I didn't hate him.

"Do you really think that?" I laughed. He nodded with that same stupid look on his face. "I don't hate you. You're not my choice of friend or even acquaintance, but I don't hate you… you're just a… a real handful." And so damn hard to keep out of trouble. "I'll admit I'm easily agitated, but as long as you stay close and out of trouble I should be fine."

"That doesn't answer my question." He answered. What? Usually children were satisfied with simple reassurance. "Were you pretending to be someone else? You **did** have different clothes and longer hair when I saw you before."

I was a bit dumbfounded. He wasn't supposed to catch on to that. And I guess I shouldn't have cut my hair up like that, and especially not in the style I used to wear. But the way it was… this was just better. And I was a bit nostalgic. So I cut it in the style that I liked and that everyone else liked.

"So if that were true then why would you have a reason to hide your identity?"

Whoa! What happened to the stupid little boy?

"… Unless you aren't who you say you are and have to hide your identity from the authorities."

I waited for him to say something else but he didn't. "You realize how crazy that sounds, right?" I laughed slightly. And a bit nervously. Fortunately, I didn't think he caught it. "I am who I say I am." And I didn't exactly _say_ who I was. I only gave him a name. A false name that was necessary at this point but still a name. Besides, if he found out who I really was, I wasn't going to lie. That'd be pointless. "And my only intention is to get you back to your companions."

"But the redhead said they were going to Mideel." He complained.

"Your point?" I asked.

"Mideel is to the east, and we are going west… no… northwest." He said starring at me with his big dumb blue eyes. Ugh!

"I know that, but your destination is Wutai and I'm supposed to get you to the closest village for them to pick you up. And that would be… North Corel." I lied.

He gave me a confused look. "No it's not, Nibelheim is." Drat! I knew he wouldn't buy it.

"Oh well. The path to Nibelheim is closed off because of dragons. So the closest town is North Corel." I answered. It was a terrible lie, but he couldn't go to Nibelheim. Angeal stressed that quite a bit so I would remember it and I wasn't about to cave just because the kid wanted to go see his mommy… who wasn't there. She'd actually been dead for years. But he wasn't allowed to know that. It was complicated. Very complicated. And a real pain in the ass. I'd rather fight a dragon and let him cry than wait for him to find out later. Didn't Zack know that if you lie to people about something like that for an extended period of time they'd get mad? It never mattered if the intention was good, they always got mad. But whatever. I'd allow them to go about walking on eggshells.

"Dragons?" Uh-oh. He had that 'I'm about to be smart' look on his face. "They don't come down from the mountain unless something attracts them. And I haven't heard of any disasters, or powerful threats." He said eying me suspiciously.

"Yes well…" How was I supposed to know about that? Dragons weren't a topic people in the city talked about. And we had none in Banora. Dammit! "… I don't know much about it… but apparently two dragons got into a fight and knocked over some rocks. So it's actually rocks blocking the path. Didn't quite clarify that, sorry."

I was a bit scared he was going to see through it again, but he lost that look he'd had a moment ago. "Oh…" Is all he said before taking a few steps forward.

Once I was sure he was out of earshot I couldn't hold in the sigh of relief. He had managed to get me all nerved up over nothing. It was just better that he wasn't suspicious. Lucky somebody told me about the frequent rockslides in the Nibelheim area. And apparently they were dragon induced. "Okay." I muttered. "Cloud is not as stupid as I thought. Clueless, but smart." On some topics at least.

"Kozue? Are you coming?" He asked from his standing point.

I strode over to him and reminded myself that I couldn't leave his side. "Remember, stay close." I said nudging his arm. "You got lucky with those guys. But most people hanging around out here aren't very trustworthy." Like me. I detested blondes but if you wanted to get technical, I was physically starved. But I was more honorable than that. So I guess I actually didn't quite count. I only meant that after how many years… he was quite the sight for sore eyes. I slightly wanted to, but it was just a hunger for physical contact. I could fight it.

"Are you okay?" He asked startling me again.

"Actually…" I sighed feeling an odd urge. Not even a good odd urge. "Could you do something for me?"

"Like what?" He replied with suspicion in his voice again. I wouldn't blame him either. He probably had a lot of people ask him that question and then do something mentally scarring. He **did** have a lot of fans. And still did. Though I could assume that most of his fans nowadays were women. But what did I know?

"Cloud… would you uh…" No. I wouldn't do it. I refused to have a damn moment of weakness. "Never mind." I said quickly looking away.

"What?" Was all I heard. "That's that second time you've done that to me in ten minutes!" He shouted. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not. "Oh no! You're gonna tell me. C'mon."

"No. It's stupid." I answered. I wasn't going to be weak. Not in front of him. I couldn't. And Angeal was probably watching. He'd laugh at me. I knew he would. He was probably laughing right now. And perhaps it wasn't just him. But I couldn't allow myself to… Who was I kidding. I just took a deep breath, but I still wouldn't look at him. If I did, I'd probably scare him. "Cloud… would you… give me a… a hug?"

"What?!"

"Please hug me?" I said staring at the dirt.

"Hug you? Why?" I had a feeling he wouldn't do it. But it didn't hurt to try. Though he did seem to be mulling something over, I'd already decided I'd just degraded myself. So I just started walking away rather quickly. The moment of weakness was gone, I was pathetic. That's all there was to it.

"Forget about it and let's go!" I called back when I realized he hadn't moved.

He surprisingly didn't say anything. Just did what he was told… for once. I couldn't do anything but roll my eyes. One had to wonder. Once I'd left him, would he be tricked and then had? How long would it take? Should I even risk leaving him in the hands of those idiots? Considering that I only had to raise my voice to get him to do whatever I said, I doubted it. But there was no way I was going to let Zack see me alive. Not yet anyway. It was best just to play it the way I had been and follow them in the shadows. And hopefully this kid would stop putting himself in horrible situations. Particularly ones in which I was forced to intervene. Otherwise I would be scolded by a presumably dead friend. And whether he was or not… what was I saying? He **was** dead. But apparently dead wasn't what I'd thought. Seeming as how he could still communicate with me from somewhere, some way. Or perhaps it was mere insanity. I couldn't really make that call at this point. I'd been having problems with my head since birth. I'd even blamed my parents. At least I think I did. I couldn't even remember if they'd actually done anything wrong. Had I made rightful claims before taking anyone's life actually? Well… there was Hojo. But for one reason or another I let him go because Angeal had stopped me.

It was funny that given the events that came after, he was one of the only people I **should** have killed. My mistake for letting him live. Of course that wasn't the only one. I had aided in the growing insanity of a good friend. And for my own benefit. Though now I couldn't see how saying all of those monstrous things would have helped me. The important thing was I wanted to set things right.

"What are you thinking about so…?"

"Don't ask." I sighed. I was too tired to think up something to satisfy his curiosity. A youthful curiosity that may get him in trouble someday. Perhaps very soon. I wouldn't know. I suppose he'd be well protected. Either by me or Zack. Fair seemed to do okay the last time he'd set out to do so. He even went so far as to form a relationship with the kid. And perhaps that was what had kept him safe for so long. Because after he'd done so the only trouble he'd had was Sephiroth. The esteemed general almost constantly trying to tempt the cadet into betraying Zack. It never worked. And he always got so frustrated. But I only heard a little about it before I left. After that I only knew so much of what was going on. Not that I cared. But now it seemed that the General's insanity had led to obsession in many ways. He'd some how twisted his train of thought so that vengeance and desire had gone hand in hand. And now… I didn't know what to think. The man I knew had vanished. That was very clear. But hopefully there was still something there that I could appeal to. Although I wasn't going to attempt going in with nothing. This would take some research. Some restricted files and information exclusive to a chosen few. And seeing as how survivors were slim. It may take some arm twisting threats. But I wasn't about to take another life on a whim. And I suppose I would only use force if charisma failed me.

"There you go again with the thinking and ignoring." I heard the boy again rather abruptly. He had a habit of taking me by surprise. "You could change the subject if you don't want to talk about it."

"There's nothing else to talk about…" I answered back. After being away from people for so long I just wanted this kid to shut up. His voice was so disgustingly innocent. And after oh so many years I wanted to have an engaging conversation with someone who wasn't insanely naïve. It wasn't that I wanted to perversely talk about sex but if someone is naïve, it dumbs down every conversation you have with them. He lacked a lot of maturity was what I supposed I was trying to say. He wasn't even mature enough for his age even though he was young. It was bizarre. But as I thought about it, it made me wonder what a person like him _would_ talk about. What could he have to talk about? Certainly nothing interesting. "… Unless you had something to talk about?"

"Well…" He started thinking. And from the looks of it, really hard. "How do you know if you like someone?" He asked. I was taken aback by the question.

"You're asking me for advice?" I said almost absent mindedly.

"Uh… well yes. You're older." He said stupidly. Oh my… just because someone was older didn't mean they knew things like that. I suppose I could tell him something corny that Angeal would say because **I** wouldn't even trust my own advice.

"Do you rather enjoy their company?" I asked even though it was a stupid question.

"Hm…. Yes?"

"Are you certain?" I asked. He nodded. "Do you know what I'm talking about?" He shook his head. "Okay…" I sighed. "Do you get butterflies?" He still looked confused. Unbelievable! "Do you get a funny, perhaps fluttery, feeling in your core?" I asked. **That** he seemed to understand.

"What if I said 'kinda'?" He replied in an odd voice.

"I'd say you're lying." I answered. As expected, he tensed up like he'd been caught. "But whatever. I'm no judge." I laughed. "My point is, it doesn't matter who it is, go for it." But of course it was Fair. Seeing as how he never showed any strong emotions for Tifa whenever he was with her. I never heard his heart flutter the way it did when he was with his SOLDIER. Though Zack never caught it. "No one can help who they fall in love with." I threw in to pinch a nerve.

"_Love?_ I'm not in love." He answered defensively and unsurely.

"Whatever you say, kid." I smirked. Whatever he had to tell himself to lessen the embarrassment he was feeling. It was understandable. He put himself out on a limb and almost fell. So, naturally, he'd try to pull himself up… with lies. I totally caught him though. He'd gotten so nervous and regretful of the question that, by now, his heart was probably in his ear. I could hear it pounding SO loudly there was a chance that he might be thinking dirty thoughts.

"Hey… Kozue? To change the subject, why did you tie me to the post earlier?"

"What?" I said taken by surprise yet again. "Uh…" Let's see… why _did_ I do that? Not anything with impure intention I'm sure. "I didn't want any hassles." That only got me the confused look. "I said I wasn't going to go after you, but I would have. And it was something I wanted to avoid. So I tied you up so you wouldn't freak out and run away from me."

"What?" He said a bit angrily. "You tied me up because I was a hassle?!"

"No. That's not what I said." I answered. "Granted, it sounded like that, but it's not what I meant." Geez! What was the matter with this kid? "This is a perfect example of why I did it. You jump to conclusions. I didn't want you to do that and wind up getting yourself hurt. You see?" He showed no sign of understanding. "I told you this before. You need to stay close or you might get hurt."

"Oh… yeah…" He said probably feeling embarrassed.

Speaking of which. "Cloud, don't move." I said listening carefully.

"What is it?" He asked. I just shushed him. He wasn't going to help by asking stupid questions. I was sure I heard something. Or perhaps it was a feeling. Either way, it wasn't good. We had to move faster. Much faster than we were now. But how? I couldn't ask him to put on the blindfold again and I wasn't going to let him see my mutation. He might guess who I was with that. Or decide I was a monster and run from me. That would be a pain. So… no. We'd have to do something else.

--

We walked in silence for a mile or two as I waited to see if I caught on to anything else. Thus far, there was nothing. But if I knew anything about Sephiroth, when it came to this kid, it was that his persistence was extraordinary. He wasn't just sitting back and letting him get away. Oh no. Far from it. But he wouldn't do anything himself just yet. Something about him that had changed from when I knew him. Once upon a time, he knew the only way to get things done was to do it yourself. But no longer. Now he would send everything he had at his disposal first, and then when those failed he would act on his own. It was as Zack said. He had become very predictable. One could even guess where his base was. My bet was on the Northern Crater. Though, however predictable he had become, one thing hadn't changed. And that was the fact that there was next to nothing Zack could that he wouldn't count on. His intelligence hadn't faltered a bit. So maybe he had become predictable out of arrogance? I wouldn't know. But it was a safe bet. Believing himself to be a god. It was pure ridiculousness… and it was all my fault. What was I thinking?! I wanted to say that I wasn't in my right mind when I'd done it. But was it really that simple? I didn't think so. And now there wasn't much I could do. All I could do was prove those records he'd found false. And that was the plan. Whether he believed it or not. I had to try.

Of course reassuring myself of that wasn't helping our current situation. Dammit! I should've just left him in the box! Then none of this would've happened!

"Where have I seen him before?" I heard the blonde ask himself in a low murmur. "Where have I seen you before?" He said almost right after.

"You already pointed it out. I was the man at the gate." I answered. If he kept on asking questions, this might get complicated. "Don't you remember?"

"It's more than that." He said persistently. A trait about most people that made them pick at something until it was bleeding anew. "It's everything about you too. The hair, your eyes, those clothes on you, your voice, everything! Even the way you walk. You don't walk like just anybody. And your posture is out of the norm. You look like you were in the army or something! So where have I seen you before?!"

I really didn't want to deal with this right now. If I just didn't say anything then maybe he would drop it. Then again, what would I do if he didn't? There wasn't much I could do without hurting him. Accidentally or not. This was becoming a nuisance. And that was just plain bad. His mind was set way back when. As far as he knew, Genesis Rhapsodos had just deserted SOLDIER and was now a wanted criminal at large. If he figured out who I was, who knows what he might do. It was just pure luck that cadets didn't care about all of the issues around the company or I would've been screwed the first moment he saw me. "Don't think on it too much." Even though I was there when they brought him in from Nibelheim. And sadly, so was Sephiroth. And again! That was probably saving me as well. Who would pay attention to me when the great General was standing right next to me? I always hated being in his shadow. But no time for past pains. Man! What was wrong with me? This kid was making me think of things I hadn't thought about in a very long time. Why was this happening now? I'd blotted out those memories for so long, but now it was impossible to ignore them. And I didn't think it was going to stop once I'd parted ways with him. I was going to be thinking about Sephiroth a lot if I had to investigate him. Wait. That was what it was about this kid. **He** was the only thing Sephiroth desired and obsessed about; so being with him was going to make me think of all the times Sephiroth talked about him. That would make me think about Sephiroth and arouse the emotions, whatever they had been, that I had been repressing since day one. It had made me so mad, but now? Now it was just funny…

He'd wanted Cloud SO, so badly… and he could never have him. Even now! It was just funny to me.

"What are you snickering about?" He asked. "Just be honest with me. Who are you?"

"I am being honest." I said calmly. I couldn't very well show my frustration I'd seem suspicious. "I've already told you that."

"You could've been lying." He argued.

"What reason do I have to lie?" I asked. There really wasn't anything beyond everything. "But if you want honesty… I'm _honestly_ offended by these accusations you keep on making." There was no reply to that. He must've believed me because his facial expressions just read as 'I'm sorry'. And he was silent afterwards. But he hadn't dropped it. I knew he was still trying to think of it. I really hoped he never figured it out. I still didn't know what I would do in response to his freak out. I didn't really handle things like that as well as I used to. Scaring the kid was the last thing I wanted to do. So I'd keep on lying to him as long as I could. But for now I suppose I could just change the subject again. "That aside." I said to get his attention. "How's that bump on your head?"

"Better than it was." He answered. Of course as Kozue I didn't have any concept of it previously, so I had to simply take it as that. And there was no way of treating his other injuries while he was in that outfit. I was mostly concerned about the bite on his arm. But there was no getting to it. And I couldn't ask about it. Again, as Kozue, I wasn't supposed to know about that. It really should be getting constant attention, but there was no helping that. For now, I could only gain interest in it if it started to bother him. Right now I couldn't tell what was eating at him. Whether it be fantasies, my identity, or pain. They all had similar effects on the body. But I could sense that he was very flustered about something.

"Are you alright?" I asked. Perhaps it was something he would tell me. He did ask me about love after all. That showed some amount of trust. Yet another example of how stupid he was. He barely knew me, I'd kidnapped him, and yet he trusted me… from the lies I'd been telling him! It was outrageous!

"It's nothing you have to worry about." He said meekly. That must've meant that I was right and he was still trying to figure out my identity. He wasn't going to get it. Out of all the stunned cadets, he was the only one who was gaping at Sephiroth. He may have caught me in the periphery of his vision. But that wasn't enough to actually remember someone. And, as said, cadets didn't care about company issues until they were in SOLDIER or in the army.

"Do you want me to replace your bandage then?" I chuckled.

"I can do it myself when I need to." He answered back defensively.

"Alright." I shrugged. I hadn't even meant to let that laugh slip out in the first place. Letting him change his own bandage was a well deserved break. Ever since the beginning of this insanity I'd been helping him. I'd done almost everything from bringing the scent of that gasoline residue back to the surface, to catching him when he fell out of the airlock and flying him down to the ground. This kid didn't even know how much he owed me. And, hopefully, in time I would be repaid for it. But I wasn't going to demand anything. That'd be… well… selfish.

"Hey!" Cloud shouted. "You aren't even listening!"

"What?" I asked. I guess I'd been spacing out. And especially staring at the giant rock next to us. There was something about it that made me think it wasn't a rock. "What were you saying?"

"I asked you if you heard something." He sighed. "Apparently not. Geez. Doesn't anybody listen to me?" He asked sarcastically while rolling his eyes. As he did so I heard something of a warble and then a couple snaps of a twig. "That." I heard him whisper. "Did you hear it that time?"

"Shh." I answered. I had to get closer. But I couldn't let whatever it was detect me. So I carefully took the lightest steps that I could. My footfalls couldn't be heard even by my ears. I had to guess that my feet were barely on the ground. It was one of the many amplified abilities I'd gotten over the years. This one, in particular, even allowed me to walk on water and through the air. Hopefully it wasn't something that he would catch on to. I didn't think it would. But he tended to surprise me with hidden intelligence. And an almost bipolar attitude at times. At least it was no worse than some other people I used to know. But that wasn't the matter at hand. Right now I had to get close enough to discover the source of the noise. Whatever it was, it was hiding behind a shrub. But when I looked, I didn't see anything. I had to strain my eyes to even catch the slightest hint of movement. But I still didn't know what it was. And I didn't get much time to guess. Cloud had backed in to me while whimpering. "Cloud" I said wheeling around on my heels. "What could possibly be…" What the hell?! "A Grand Horn?! Where did that come from?!" I shouted. He stared at me blankly. Obviously he didn't know. "Wait. That was the-" I was going to say rock, but I couldn't get the last word out before the Grand Horn lurched forward and just barely hit me and almost the boy. But I'd done the typical thing and pushed him out of the way. I had to. He was standing to the left of me at the time and he would've taken the brunt of the blow if I hadn't. So I ended up taking a scrape of a hit to the right arm. But nothing more. "Get in the underbrush." I told him. This would go a lot faster with him out of the way.

"But what about the…"

"Don't argue! You're unarmed, just do it!" I shouted. If he had a weapon it'd be a different story, but that wasn't so. And it'd be safer for me to fight with my usual techniques. Though I wasn't sure if I remembered how to fight this thing. Let's see. It was resistant to physical attacks and most magic. Damn! That removed a lot of options. It had to have a weak point somewhere. But I couldn't think of anything to penetrate its thick hide. So no. Even if Cloud had a weapon I'd tell him to run. Which hopefully he did. I slightly recalled some rustling behind me. "Okay." I sighed. This thing was slow. I could do this.

--

Okay! No I couldn't. I'd hit it with almost everything I had and that did nothing but make it mad. This thing was powerful. On the up side, I'd figured out that it had the same weakness as a dragon. I had to get a good clean cut at its soft underbelly. That was almost as impossible as penetrating its thick hide. We had to get out of here. So, even though it wasn't the honorable thing to do, I turned and ran for it. There was no way I was going to risk it all over a monster out in the plains. Admittedly a monster that seemed jacked up on steroids, but still just a monster.

I fought my way through the brush to find the boy kneeling over something. But there was no time for that. I scooped him up, along with whatever he was looking at, and bolted through the branches. Unfortunately, it wasn't long after that I heard the beast crashing after us. This wasn't good. Every time it took a step the ground shook. Not to mention it was catching up to us, and I couldn't run on such an unstable surface. I felt as though I was going to trip, and get us both killed, any second. Not good, not good, not good! At least he wasn't screaming though. I hated it when people screamed. It was weird. I expected him to be more jittery than he was being at the moment. He certainly proved to be jittery in other situations. Was he just shocked and too caught up in the moment to think to?

My thoughts dissipated when I heard the giant creature's foot fall, what sounded to be, a yard away from me. I reverted back to instinct and spread my wind without even thinking about it. And at the same time I took off and flew into the air to escape. Much to my embarrassment, I think I also let out something of a shriek before I did so. But I don't think he heard me, so I wouldn't even mention it and hopefully, if he **did** hear it, he wouldn't say anything about it.

It was too late to land and pretend it never happened. He was already gaping at the wing that had spread from my back. I couldn't believe I'd done what I just did. Of all the stupid moves, why that? Hopefully he didn't know that the wing was an indication of SOLDIERs. I didn't think so. His reaction was a pretty typical one for seeing someone with a giant black wing on their back. That didn't necessarily mean that he'd figured me out.

So I decided not too read too much into it and focused on gaining altitude. I'd gotten lucky and the stupid thing had passed right under us, but I didn't want to risk it coming back to finish it.

"Ahh!" I finally heard him start screaming. It was a bit of a delayed reaction, but I was expecting it. "Gaia, what's going on?!"

"It's okay. It's nothing to freak out about." I answered. He just kept on screaming as though he didn't hear me. Probably didn't. And I suppose I'd have to deal with it. Hopefully it wouldn't be long before he ran out of steam. "Just close your eyes."

"How is that supposed to help?!"

"Just try it. It's supposed to help." I said as calmly as humanly possible. He quickly shut his eyes as tightly as he could. And as I was watching, I couldn't help but notice a big clump of green in his arms. Feathery green. Did he seriously pick up a young mountain chocobo? Geez! Those things were like an infestation! And, for one reason or another, they seemed to be thriving out here. Not only that, but this one was _**green**_. Those weren't found in the wild. All there was supposed to be out here were those typical yellow ones. Oh well. I'd have to yell at him for picking up his kinsman later when he wasn't terrified. "If you puke on me, you're in trouble." I said pressing forward. That was something I would like to avoid.

--

Now that I'd already blown my little secret, and hopefully not my identity, I could see that this was the best way to travel. Not to mention the fastest. There were no monsters up here either. At least not at the height that I'd decided to fly at. I couldn't really remember how high I'd gotten to before the silence was interrupted by a _certain_ blonde.

"Kozue… I'm getting a really bad headache."

"What?" What was that supposed to mean?

"Kozue, if I don't get down now I'm **going** to throw up." He answered rather bluntly. Which was good. I began a slow decent immediately to avoid any unnecessary mess. At least I thought it was slow. He wasn't acting like it was slow enough. In fact, he was behaving as though he were falling. Even though he wasn't. When he fell out of the airship he was falling much faster than my current pace. But whatever. I landed without a problem and was very grateful for the warning.

"Wait." I told myself just as I was about to put him down. That wouldn't be the best thing to do. Judging from the way he was acting prior to the landing, I'd say he wasn't going to be very stable on his feet. Not for a while at least. This was quite an annoying situation. I didn't _want_ to carry him around. Him or his bird. I'd had enough of those things. And it was safe to say that my dislike of those birds added to my repulse of him. His hair made him look like one of them. How anyone found that cute, I couldn't understand. If anything it was just plain odd. Crazy haired blonde. Ugh! Gross.

What was even more repulsive was once having to listen to Sephiroth's passionate ramblings about how it made him stand out. How it made him so… unique. If he'd ever valued anyone else's opinion I would've told him that hair wasn't the greatest thing to first take notice of. Besides. There was more to this boy than his insane hair and big round eyes. Like his random, almost hidden, intelligence. It was quite shallow of Sephiroth to only talk about his outer appearance. Then again, I never listened long enough for him to actually **say** anything about personality. I didn't do much of listening to anyone around the time when he'd actually met Cloud. I believe my mind was too far gone at that time.

Although. If I ever looked at an outer trait, it'd be the eyes. They were the windows to one's soul. And on this kid, it was sometimes shrouded with confusion. Though I supposed he had to be named Cloud for one reason or another. But I meant what I said at the Gold Saucer. His eyes were the purest cerulean I had ever seen without the aide of mako. They showed confusion, but they were vibrant. Not dull in the least. He seemed to have a lot of life in him, which was demonstrated by his fright of everything really. He definitely wasn't the bravest fellow around.

"Let me down already." He said in an agitated but urgent voice.

"Are you going to throw up?"

"No. It's not me. It's him." He said referring to the bird. His green feathers were ruffled up here and there along with an obvious dizziness in his eyes. Now I didn't know much, but I knew that meant there was something wrong. Although I didn't know for sure what the bird was going to do, so I let the boy down without asking anymore stupid questions. And then he put the bird down to let it go off somewhere, I really didn't pay attention; for that matter, I really didn't care. That bird had to go anyway. There would be way too many complications if it stayed. "Geez." He sighed. Instantly I directed my attention back to him and pretended that I had been listening the whole time. "Why are you so worried about me puking?"

"Because of your motion sickness and such." I blurted out without even thinking.

"How do you know about that?" He asked suspiciously.

"Uhh…" I was at a loss on this one. I really wasn't supposed to know that. Why the hell did I do that? There was no way to fix it now.

"I didn't tell you about the motion sickness." No. You actually didn't. You implied it, but you didn't. Crap. Why did I slip up like that?! I was doing so well with avoiding subjects I wasn't supposed to know about. And now I went and ruined everything by saying one stupid thing. "You sure you're being completely honest with me? Because right about now I get the feeling I've been lied to."

"No. That's not it. I…" Crap what do I say? For some reason, it never occurred to me that this might come up. "I did lie, but not to deceive you."

"How is that not deception?!" He shouted. "You lied to me, and then you lied about lying!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop! It's not nearly as bad as you think." I answered back. I didn't mean to shout, but he was beginning to overreact and I had to stop him before he decided to go off on his own. "I only did it because I didn't want you to-"

"Well if you didn't want me to freak out you shouldn't have flown with that wing of yours." He said folding his arms. "The black feathers are kinda a dead give away, Kozue."

What? I was still safe? He didn't figure out about my true identity? Oh… well then I guess it was an overreaction on my part. Thank the planet, my assumptions were right.

"So you were the one in the ship? The one who let me out of the uh… predicament… I'd stupidly put myself in?"

There'd be no point in lying about it now. So… "Yeah. And quite a bit more." I added bluntly. I really did want credit for all of it. And perhaps knowing that I'd saved his life would make him feel obligated to stay no matter what happened. Not that it was going to be that way. Just, some reassurance that he wouldn't run off on his own. I couldn't stress that enough. But no matter happened he **could not** go off on his own. He **would** die.

"That was a bit unnecessary don't you think?" He asked in the same tone he'd had for a while now.

Whatever, I wasn't going to explain myself any further than I had to. If he wanted to be difficult, he could complain to his little heart's content. I didn't care. I could tune it out eventually. Wait… "Hey, what happened to your bird?" I said to distract him from his rambling. And, as hoped, he trailed off as he looked around for the creature.

"Orion?" He said walking a few paces to search in some brush. I watched him for a second before turning my focus on the ribbons trailing behind him. Just like the bird, those would probably have to go. They were not the ideal thing to wear while making a quick get away. Just seeing them as they danced in the breeze, they could easily get caught on something. Then where would he be at? He'd be strangled and perhaps even caught. But then again… hold on.

"You named it?!" I asked in complete shock. Oh man. Now he'd never let it go.

"Why wouldn't I?" He responded as casually as he could. Which wasn't very casual.

"When did you do that?!"

"I had to do something while we were in the air. What did you expect me to think about?"

"Whatever. That's really cute. Now just forget him and come on. He's safe here anyway." I sighed walking up to him. He stepped away from me and went back to looking. "Cloud, c'mon."

"I'm not leaving Orion all by himself." He answered blatantly.

"What do you care? He's not yours." I argued. Animals weren't my favorite thing, that and chocobos, along with any bird, were very messy. We didn't have time for him to stop and play mommy. It didn't work like that. "For one reason or another, you're not taking this whole 'endangerment of you _life'_ thing seriously." Or at least not seriously enough.

"I'm aware of the situation, Kozue. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm **not** leaving him behind." Cloud answered very sternly. Man, he was taking this seriously. A bit too seriously. It was only a bird. Besides, this was their natural habitat. It'd be fine. "I think I know who he belongs to. Even though I didn't expect to find him. When they said they'd '_lost'_ the baby, I'd assumed it was dead. But they **did** say it was a green chocobo. So, I think that this bird belongs to Herb and Alvar. That would explain why it was so close to where they had been camping."

"Are you serious?" I said closing my eyes. Now it was certain, he wasn't going to leave this thing behind. Dammit! What was with all the chocobos?! "We don't have time for you to bring a pet along. We are being tracked down! Do you really understand the severity of this situation?!"

"I know! I really do! But it doesn't change anything! He's not a wild animal. He's been raised domestically up until now. So I **can't** just leave him here!"

I folded my arms and stared straight at him. He did the same. "We're not taking it." I said narrowing my eyes into a glare. Hopefully that would be enough to intimidate him. Sure I didn't exactly feel good about leaving the bird but we just couldn't do it.

"We are." He shot back glaring as well.

We continued to stare each other down. I wasn't sure how long it would go on, but I was certain that this odd, non-meek, side of Cloud had reappeared. Man, did he feel strongly about stupid things. This wasn't really worth this fight. But I wasn't going to cave. We weren't taking the bird.

--

I couldn't believe we were taking the bird. I didn't even remember how it happened. I remember glaring at each other, arguing, quite a bit of shouting, then the stupid bird came back and… Cloud did something. What did he do? Dammit! Why couldn't I remember? There was just something about it that I didn't _want_ to remember. But I think… I think I caved and then hated myself so much that I'd tried to blot out the memory and now it was really gone. How did I even do that?! I couldn't do it before when I probably **needed** to! "I am so crazy." I murmured while he was fawning over the bird.

This was insane. We were being hunted down by someone. I knew that much. Perhaps the noise I'd heard earlier was the bird, but I was certain that we were being watched. Not necessarily by someone close by either. But someone was watching us. That I was sure of. And I could also guess that someone had been closing in on us as we left the Gold Saucer. But they were thrown off the trail when I had to fly away. And that was good. That would give us some time to get to North Corel. Even though we were practically there now. The decision to fly part of the way was a good one. It'd taken a huge chunk out of the expected travel time. So that was a bit of a load off my mind. However, that didn't change how annoyed I was getting with him babying that dumb animal! Not only because he was being repetitive to amuse the brainless beast, but it was slowing us down just as I thought it would. We were walking **even slower** than we had been before the flight.

I could only roll my eyes as he talked to it as though it would answer back. Poor kid probably wouldn't really understand this until he was caught. Or until the pursuers caught up. This just made me wonder how short his attention span was. He and Zack were in constant danger a mere twenty four hours prior to this moment. Why was he acting as though all of that were in the distant past? It didn't make any sense. Judging by his nature he should be freaking out right now. This certainly was bizarre. "Is this some sort of coping mechanism?" I asked. This time I didn't care whether he heard me or not. I wanted to know. He'd bother me for a while, I could bother him.

"What?" He answered back. Based on the measure of his voice, the confusion in his voice was sincere.

"Kweh…?"

I ignored the bird. He wasn't involved in this. "The way you act as though nothing's happening. Is it some sort of coping mechanism?" I knew he didn't want to talk about it. And it wasn't like I _wanted_ him to be scared. I didn't really know what I wanted him to do. On the one hand, he's panicky and more prone to mistakes. On the other, he's goofing off and doing stupid things to get himself caught. There had to be some mid place to this. And I guess that's what I wanted him to find.

"Not this again." He sighed. "I'm not pretending nothing's happening…"

"But I still don't think you're getting it." I said sensing no panic or fear within him anywhere. "Just because there's no immediate danger doesn't mean you don't have to be safe."

"I know. But… I don't want this to completely take over my life, Kozue. Freaking out and being irrational isn't going to do anything to help. I need to distract myself, because I know that's exactly what I'll do. So, if you must know, yes. It _is_ a way of coping. Okay? Just drop it."

"Okay. That's all I needed to know. But the bird?"

"Kozue." He said as though he were giving me a warning.

I shrugged it off. Apparently I'd killed his sense of humor. Oh well. I could get over that. So I looked up to see how close we were getting. Not too far. I could see the town beginning to form on the mountain side. I'd say we were two miles, or so, away. Hopefully there would be **something** worth calling supplies in that sorry excuse for a town. For that matter, I hoped there was a place to stay. Who knew how long AVALANCHE would be on their mission. I didn't even think about a place that would take animals. But, then again, what could they complain about. The people weren't the cleanest things either. I'd **much** rather be in Nibelheim, at least they had a respectable inn, but that was out of the question.

"We're almost to safety, if you care." I said with a lack of tone in my voice.

"I do, even though the safety provided is in a very hazardous place. It's still a place, right?"

"Optimism. I guess that's good." I mused to myself. It was better than complaining. "Just hope that it's a good place to hide for a while."

"Kozue, just stop it." He sighed angrily.

"I'm just making sure you know. This guy, he's not playing around. He's out for blood, Cloud." I warned. "He won't rest until he has your head."

--

**(A/N) **I apologize for all the chocobos. But they are taking over the world, okay. It can't be stopped. But fear not! They will dissipate, with the return of Zack. Until then, we are at their mercy. Again. I apologize. But I hope you still enjoyed the chapter. Tell me what you thought with the rectangular button thingy at the bottom of the page. It'd be much appreciated, thank you.


	12. Cloud 6

**(A/N) **Okay. You heard "Kozue", Cloud's up next. That means Zack shall return! And soon too. Only this before that. And that after this. You get the point. You need to get through Cloud before you may once again unlock Zack's thoughts. Can you do it?

And so sorry, just warning you ahead of time… well… those of you that bother to read author's notes… I didn't pay enough attention last chapter and they ended up talking to each other **way** too much, so this chapter is kinda recapping and repetitive. So please don't point that out later on, I already know and I hate myself for it. But I can't change it without changing the entire last chapter with it. Not by much anyway. And… well… I really just wanna get to Zack. So I guess this chapter really is an obstacle to get by before you can reach Zack once again. Enjoy it either way.

--

"What am I gonna do?!" I asked. "What can I do?! Just look at this! This is insane! Look at this thing! It won't come off!" I sputtered trying to pull the belt free. Even if it just loosened a little. But there was nothing. "It won't even budge!" Why was **this** of all things happening?! "I can't even get the gloves off! Why does this thing actually have to work?! I can't even get the **gloves** off!" It was true. The fabric was almost sticking to my skin. Acting as though it were a part of it. I couldn't pull at it too much without hurting myself. I never believed it would be this effective! Who would?! "Things like this aren't supposed to **work**!" I could tell that I was starting to lose my breath, but my ranting just refused to stop. I couldn't help it. I was panicking! "Why did I leave?! I'm so stupid!" After a few minutes I didn't even pay attention. I could feel myself keep going and going; on and on until… my breath thinned out enough for me to force myself to stop and take in some oxygen.

"Hey kid, stop hyperventilating. That belt will come off eventually. Come over here and I'll cut it off you." I heard the latest of Kozue's suggestions.

"No!" Out of the question! I wasn't going to let someone attempt **that**! It was physically impossible… well… maybe. Physics wasn't my forte. But anyone with common sense would say no to an insane suggestion like that! Besides… "There's no space, you'd cut me!"

"Okay. But you're going to get into a lot of trouble if you keep on wearing that." He replied in such a way that screamed 'annoyed'.

"What am I supposed to do?!" I asked. More like, what did _he_ want me to do? I wouldn't risk getting cut open to get this stupid thing off, but if he came up with a less risky suggestion… who knows? It was just that everything he was coming up with had the risk of injury.

"Cloud. Just… if you're going to shoot down every idea I pitch to you then please calm down a bit." Pfft! Easy for him to say. He wasn't in this predicament! "It's not the first time somebody's been stuck in clothes they don't like." True. But his words weren't helping much. It was probably just my mind playing tricks on me, but he sounded more patronizing than helpful. I didn't much like to be patronized. I'd let it go, because I was used to it, but I didn't like it.

"Other clothes didn't give people the impression that they were gay!" I sighed angrily. At the same time I turned around in a circle while watching the stupid ribbons trail behind me. I hated this.

It was then that I heard him snicker behind me. "That's the impression you're going to give no matter _what_ you wear."

I stopped dead in my tracks. What was that supposed to mean? "Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Nothing, never mind; forget I said anything." He said slapping a hand to his forehead. I most certainly would not! He'd just said _something_. I wanted to know what. And it included me! I had a right to know.

"C'mon." I said, cautiously, tugging at his shirt. But no matter what I did he wouldn't say anything about it. I was getting fed up with this. He wasn't the only one who did this. And the thing of it was becoming an increasing habit. First Mr. Valentine, Zack, Herb, Alvar, and now Kozue! "I'm fourteen, not stupid. I can take whatever you have to say." At least I thought so. But he was ignoring me.

"Look… Cloud, if you can't understand what I just said then you aren't going to know." He sighed. He didn't have to say that. Comments like that always made me feel stupid. I was beginning to think… hey wait… his personality had made a significant change. What was with that?

"Kozue? How come you were nice to me at the Gold Saucer but now you hate me?" I asked. Forget what he had said before, I wanted to know why he'd suddenly taken on a great dislike of me.

"Do you really think that?" He laughed. "I don't hate you. You're not my choice of friend or even acquaintance, but I don't hate you… you're just a… a real handful." Was that supposed to make feel better? "I'll admit I'm easily agitated, but as long as you stay close and out of trouble I should be fine." This thing again? Stay close? I already knew that. That was my default. Cling to the person with me until I was sure it was safe to really, truly be alive. I hated this whole ordeal; being passed around all the time. On to the next person with new, and stricter, rules for me to follow in order to stay alive. Besides that.

"That doesn't answer my question." Not completely. "Were you pretending to be someone else? You **did** have different clothes and longer hair when I saw you before. So if that were true then why would you have a reason to hide your identity? … Unless you aren't who you say you are and have to hide your identity from the authorities." Something along those lines, definitely. But why? What reason would he have to hide himself from the world? Why would anyone give up the life they had to hide? I wanted to know. Maybe he could answer? Because _that_ was where I was headed. And I didn't like it. I couldn't be certain. But I had a bad feeling that they'd make me change who I was once we got to our destination. I didn't want that. And even though it may just be a temporary thing, it was still a lot to ask. It'd be easy for them to demand it of me. But none of them would have to do it, would they?

"You realize how crazy that sounds, right?" He answered with a bit of a chuckle. "I am who I say I am. And my only intention is to get you back to your companions."

Is that so? "But the redhead said they were going to Mideel." I thought aloud.

"Your point?"

My point was that we were going in the complete opposite direction if that were the case. "Mideel is to the east, and we are going west… no… northwest." I said pointing in our current direction. Clearly there was something I wasn't getting.

"I know that, but your destination is Wutai and I'm supposed to get you to the closest village for them to pick you up. And that would be… North Corel." He said the last part faster than the rest of the sentence. Probably because he was lying. It was totally wrong. Why was I getting the feeling that I shouldn't trust him? I didn't like the feeling. Not one bit. Mostly because I didn't want to become one of those people who never trusted anyone. Although I kinda had. But it wasn't like I'd chosen to be that way. I was forced into it really. I mean, everywhere I turn there was another creep. A real depressing situation. But my situation. And one I was gonna have to deal with. Hopefully I'd be able to take care of myself when I got older. Otherwise I think I may be a shut-in. But anyway. "No it's not, Nibelheim is." I said to correct him. I wouldn't mind going home while we waited. But I wasn't completely sure I wanted to bring Kozue into my house only to have him be rude to my mother. He wasn't exactly the kind of acquaintance you introduced to your family.

"Oh well. The path to Nibelheim is closed off because of dragons. So the closest town is North Corel." There was something about the way he said it that just wouldn't let it sound true. He was lying to me. He was totally lying to me. I could feel it. He said it so quickly; it was like it bothered him to say it. There was no way that could be true. I mean, c'mon. Dragons? What a lame excuse. Since when did dragons decided to be nuisances and block paths?

"Dragons?" I asked. "They don't come down from the mountain unless something attracts them." They really only came down if they felt threatened. Some times the younger ones would get spooked during thunder storms and come. And then that would lead to the parents coming to get them and that caused problems. The one time it happened just made a big mess. Mostly because the village bubbas freaked out and started shooting, idiots. Either way, it hardly ever happened like that. So! "And I haven't heard of any disasters, or powerful threats."

"Yes well… I don't know much about it… but apparently two dragons got into a fight and knocked over some rocks. So it's actually rocks blocking the path. Didn't quite clarify that, sorry."

"Oh…" I sighed. That would certainly explain a lot. It didn't get rid of the feeling that I was being lied to, but… "Kozue? Are you coming?" I asked when I didn't hear any footsteps following behind me.

"Remember, stay close." He said hitting me, luckily, on my left arm. It would've hurt if he'd hit the right. The pain from the bite wasn't exactly making itself scarce lately. But I'd gotten over it. And by that I meant it wasn't as bad as when I was fighting those bastards at the stadium. Ever since I got separated from Zack and the others I'd been handled very roughly. It wasn't anybody's fault. They just didn't know that I had a throbbing dog bite on that arm and therefore didn't know to avoid the area. "You got lucky with those guys." He continued. As if I didn't already know that. I could've been killed. It was a good thing they decided to be idiots before they brought out their knives. Or whatever weaponry they had with them. "…But most people hanging around out here aren't very trustworthy." Again, I knew that. But whatever. He was just being cautious. Everyone was doing that lately. Acting as though I were made of glass. It was getting old. I mean, they were all acting as though I were one of those frail little children who broke their legs by tripping over dandelions!

"Huh?" I gasped under my breath when I felt a disturbance in the natural flow of conversation and company. I looked over to Kozue to see him staring at me the way Zack did. A look of clouded thoughts, focus, and his eyes slowly trailing up and down my body. "Are you okay?" I asked. It seemed to make him jump and then blink himself out of his trance. Good. I didn't like it when Zack did that. Well… I didn't _think_ I did. Whenever I caught him doing it I felt dizzy and fizzlely in weird places. So why would I let someone I hardly knew do it? It wouldn't make sense.

"Actually…" He paused. "Could you do something for me?" That didn't sound good.

"Like what?" I asked suspiciously. I wasn't gonna partake in any odd requests he had up his sleeve. Not even any of those weird jokes that made no sense.

"Cloud… would you uh…" He stopped and thought again. All I could do was wonder what it could be. What was it that he wanted me to do? "Never mind." That was unexpected. I had to try and process it while staring blankly into space. That was certainly a new response. It was different. Very different. No one ever told me that. They always wanted something. It was a relieving response. However, not one I would accept. He made me curious… which may have been the plan.

"What?" I asked. "That's that second time you've done that to me in ten minutes!" Unacceptable! "Oh no! You're gonna tell me. C'mon." I urged.

"No. It's stupid." He answered trying to avoid my stare. But I wasn't going to let him do this. I kept staring intently and it seemed to be getting to him. Sure enough… "Cloud… would you… give me a… a hug?" Again I found myself in shock. That was a blunt answer. No one ever came straight out and **asked** for what they wanted. Man, Kozue was pretty… straightforward.

"What?!" Was the only thing that would come out.

"Please hug me?" He repeated. I didn't have a problem with it. But… it was just…

"Hug you? Why?" I didn't mean for it to sound to protesting. But I really did want to know why. That was the only thing holding me back from actually doing it. It was an odd thing to request. Normally, in my experience, if people wanted a hug they just did it. They didn't ask. Asking would make it awkward when it didn't have to be. Which is exactly what he'd accomplished.

"Forget about it and let's go!" I heard him call back. For some reason he'd walked off without me even though he'd bothered me so much to stay close. Why would you do that and then leave the person behind? I didn't understand this guy sometimes. Even though this was kinda funny. I still ran up to him as fast as I could.

--

I walked next to him in silence for several moments before following his example and spacing off into random thoughts. Like how stupid this outfit made me look and feel. I really couldn't get over it. Really! Out of all the outfits to get stuck in?! This one?! How did this thing even work? Since when had they discovered a belt that you couldn't just take off? Some things about today just didn't add up. Such as… the prison. Where did the prison built on Corel's ruins go? Last thing I knew maximum security prisons didn't just up and disappear. And if it did, where did all the inmates go? There wasn't even any sign of destruction around the area. Is it possible that I'd just missed it? That wouldn't make any sense. Truthfully, I hadn't seen it before, but one would expect something like they described it to be… well… big. At least big enough to spot a ways away. Of course I guess that wasn't the only weird thing going on lately. I mean, my phone… oh no. I felt around forgetting that I didn't exactly have pockets and felt greatly dismayed at the forgotten, but well known fact that I didn't have my cell phone. How was anyone supposed to find us? Did Kozue have a phone or even anybody's number. I didn't think so. I mean, I just met him. How could he have anybody's number? But if he didn't, how could they know where to find us? Did he even make a plan? Had I just stupidly fallen for an obvious trap and been kidnapped?! I gasped at the thought. Ridiculous as it was. But people thought strange things when they had to time to think about it. I looked over at him just to see if there was any change in his state of mind. There didn't appear to be. I wished he would stop thinking and talk. I felt better about being with him when he talked. "What are you thinking about so…?"

"Don't ask." Was the only thing I got from him. It didn't really help.

"You're kinda creepy when you don't talk." I murmured. There was no response. He'd just gone back to what he'd been doing before I interrupted him. "There you go again with the thinking and ignoring." I sighed. That seemed to get his attention. Good. Now I just had to try not to pester him and hopefully he wouldn't go back into one of his frequent trances. "You could change the subject if you don't want to talk about it." I said encouragingly. There had to be **something** he could allow himself to talk about.

"There's nothing else to talk about…" He answered trailing off to think again. Well that was discouraging. I felt as though I'd just been shrugged off. Perhaps he didn't want me here? Well, kidnapper or not, I wasn't going to go off all by myself. I had virtually no way to defend myself against monsters. And they got pretty big out here. It was insane. Be that as it may, it still hurt my feelings to be treated like an annoyance. "… Unless you had something to talk about?" I heard him ask. Whoa. Did he feel bad about snapping at me or was it something else?

"Well…" I tried to come up with something. But what would a person say to someone like Kozue? What did he normally talk about would be the place to start. Hmm… well… uh… he didn't talk about much. He mostly thought to himself. But I couldn't ask him what he was thinking about. He'd already told me not to and I got the feeling he'd get mad if I did anyway. I tried my darnedest to think of something. I felt as though I had a time limit here. Kozue didn't prove to be very patient. I looked deep, perhaps too deep, because suddenly and image of Zack appeared and my heart did a flip. "How do you know if you like someone?" I blurted out not thinking. That was something really stupid to ask. But… it was too late. I felt the burning embarrassment beginning to rise up, but…

"You're asking me for advice?" He asked. He didn't say it with a mocking voice surprisingly enough. I'd half-expected him to laugh. But he didn't. Man, he was hard to read!

"Uh…" Advice? Maybe that was it. Perhaps I _could_ use some advice on this, because I had no idea what my mind was trying to say when it came to Zack. "… well yes. You're older." I answered. He had to have more experience with things like this. That's the way it usually went. Older people knew what to say and what to look for. They tended to know what certain things meant and the signs for things. They just all out tended to know more. And at this point I didn't care where the advice came from, I figured I needed it. Besides, it was already said. There was no point in denying it now.

"Do you rather enjoy their company?" He asked. What did **that** mean? Did I enjoy his company? I didn't know what I thought of him. That's why I was asking. I wanted to know what I thought of him. Maybe then I could better decide for myself what I wanted to do. Did I want to avoid anything stupid, or…? Of course it would be easier for me to react more openly if I knew how he felt.

"Hm…." I guess I didn't despise being around him. I just couldn't tell whether he annoyed me or what it was. He made me feel something odd though. "Yes?"

"Are you certain?" He asked. Yes. I was sure he wasn't a horrible person to spend an extended period of time with, so I nodded. "Do you know what I'm talking about?" If he meant, did I know what he was getting at? No. "Okay…" He sighed. I suppose I was being a bit difficult. But I really didn't know… and I wanted to. So… I dunno. "Do you get butterflies?" Butterflies? I could tell I raised a brow. Really. What did butterflies have anything to do with it? No one had ever told me about that before. I didn't think anyone said anything like that before. I mean, some of the other cadets talked a lot about shafts and… rims? I dunno. "Do you get a funny, perhaps fluttery, feeling in your core?" Yeah! That was it! But I didn't really want him to pin me as something that wasn't true. So…

"What if I said 'kinda'?" I asked putting emphasis on the word **kinda**.

"I'd say you're lying." I heard him say as he turned to look right at me. My eyes widened a little as I couldn't help but feel like a deer in the headlights. "But whatever. I'm no judge." He laughed. Why was he laughing? This wasn't something to laugh about. At least he made it seem like I shouldn't be embarrassed about it. "My point is, it doesn't matter who it is, go for it." What did he mean by that? "No one can help who they fall in love with."

What?! _"Love?_ I'm not in love." Am I? I couldn't be. That was absurd. Me? In love with… Zack? That's impossible. We were both guys. That didn't happen.

"Whatever you say, kid." Kozue sighed. What? No! I didn't want him to just dismiss it. Explain this to me better! I still had no idea what he was trying to say! Spell it out for me! Is it okay for two guys to like each other in that way? Did Zack like me?! Oh man. This did nothing for me. I had to know how Zack felt. C'mon Kozue! Tell me what to do. He didn't tell me anything useful. It was all cryptic crap! He was weird! Wait… wait a second.

"Hey… Kozue? To change the subject, why did you tie me to the post earlier?" That wasn't something people normally did. And all in all, it was just plain unnecessary.

"What? Uh…" What? _He_ didn't even know? Is that what he was trying to get across. "I didn't want any hassles…" He went on to say something else, but I didn't pay attention to it. I only heard the word hassle. That wasn't a very flattering thing to say to someone. That was just plain rude.

"What?" I asked. He stopped and paid attention with a bit of confusion in his eyes. "You tied me up because I was a hassle?!" I asked. That was outrageous!

"No." Was the instant reply. "That's not what I said." It sounded like it. "Granted, it sounded like that, but it's not what I meant." Well then what _did_ he mean? Crap. I made him mad. Why was this happening? It was like I couldn't do anything right around this guy. This would be one of those moments where I wished life had a rewind option. But it didn't. Oh wait. He was still looking at me. Dammit! I didn't hear a word he just said. Now he was gonna get pissed. I knew it. "I told you this before. You need to stay close or you might get hurt." He said as hopefully a reiteration. Okay. That was it. That I could understand. It still didn't justify tying me to a freakin' post! But it was something.

"Oh…" I said to make him think I understood it completely. I didn't really feel like getting yelled at. "… yeah…" Getting Kozue angry, not a good thing. What was I supposed to do to avoid that? It was like my very being annoyed him. He said he was easily agitated. Did that mean I was that much of an agitating person? Who else did I annoy? Everybody? Oh Gaia no! I was annoying wasn't I?! Was that why I got picked on? Because I was an annoying little crybaby? If you put it that way… **I** would annoy me! Holy crap! That made me a hypocrite! I hated hypocrisy too! No! That must've been why nobody liked me. Was that why somebody wanted me dead?! No, no. It couldn't be that. People didn't just kill others for being annoying. Then again… I'd heard stories. But…

"Cloud, don't move." Kozue said stopping dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" I asked stopping in mine. All I got was a 'shush'. Of course. After that he went back to thinking. That was all he did. So it was safe to assume that it was going to get really quiet, real fast.

--

With my assumptions completely correct I was struck by the feeling of déjà vu. I had no idea why, I'd only glanced at Kozue and it went off. That didn't make any sense. Since when did someone get that déjà vu feeling by glancing at someone out of the corner of their eye? It certainly wasn't something I'd experienced before. But no matter how much I told myself it was nothing, it wouldn't go away. It was like a mosquito… almost. It was annoying in the fact that I couldn't remember where I'd seen him. It was as though he were a memory from a fraction of a second. There was no way I was gonna remember something like that! Was it possible in the slightest? Gyah! Why couldn't I just dismiss it?! I wasn't supposed to obsess over things like this. But that didn't stop it from bothering the hell out of me. "Where have I seen him before?" I asked myself under my breath. But I caught a twitch from Kozue; that meant he was listening and there was some significance to him. Okay… if he was going to listen in while I was talking to myself I would just talk to him. "Where have I seen you before?"

"You already pointed it out. I was the man at the gate." He answered a little too casually. There wasn't even any, _'What are you talking about?', _he just… said it as though it were nothing. "Don't you remember?" He went on to say. That was a bit too calm. There was nothing in his tone to make him sound offended.

But no… that wasn't it. "It's more than that." I huffed. It was so much more than that! "It's everything about you too." Absolutely everything. "The hair, your eyes, those clothes on you, your voice, everything!" Nothing had ever affected my mind in such a way before. He wasn't just some stranger. He was someone who had something to hide. I could feel it. He was lying to me. And I could understand it, but I didn't want him to just lie like this. It wasn't as though I was going to judge him or anything. There was just no way he could be a random person. He had too many tells. "Even the way you walk. You don't walk like just anybody." He carried himself in a very dignified manner. He looked as though he were out of SOLDIER. They all had a certain air about them, even Zack. It was an atmosphere that was almost prideful and yet… "And your posture is out of the norm." His stood very straight and with his shoulders thrown back. "You look like you were in the army or something!" That was the only conclusion I could come to. Even if he wasn't a SOLDIER, he had to be in the army. Or a veteran of some sort. "So where have I seen you before?!" I asked almost demanding an answer.

"Don't think on it too much." Was the blunt reply. Why? Why was he so opposed to telling me? I wasn't going to condemn him for something he'd done. I wasn't like that. Of course he couldn't know that. But I… why didn't he trust me? Why didn't anyone trust me with anything? Ugh! I wasn't going to get any help from Kozue in discovering his identity. I really should've just forgotten about it, but I couldn't. It especially bothered me when I heard him laughing under his breath. Was he mocking me?

"What are you snickering about? Just be honest with me." And while you're at it, "Who are you?"

Once I asked that question again his mood went back to an unnatural sort of calm. "I am being honest." How could he keep a straight face for so long? This whole time and he never even made one mistake. I'd never encountered anyone who could lie so full heartedly for extended periods of time. Why _would_ someone want to lie for that long? He must've had something **big** to hide. That only intensified my sense of curiosity. "I've already told you that." He sighed. That really meant that he was getting tired of this. I was getting under his skin apparently.

"You could've been lying." I pressed. I wasn't usually the type to pry into someone's business like this, but I'd never had a slight sense of knowing before. However, I didn't want to come full out and tell him he was lying. Telling someone they were doing something wasn't the greatest thing to do. In fact, it was a good way to annoy people. So I only hinted that I knew. I figured that would be okay, right?

"What reason do I have to lie?" He asked. Well how was I supposed to know that unless he told me? I didn't know what reason there was to lie the way he was. All I knew was that he **was** lying. "But if you want honesty… I'm _honestly_ offended by these accusations you keep on making."

Oh… that was really… confusing. Was he lying still or was he really offended? No. No, he had to be lying. If he were really offended then that would mean he wasn't lying the entire time. And I knew he was lying. So he wasn't offended. He was annoyed. Should I… apologize? I didn't think it would matter. Why did he get so angry? I didn't see any reason for him to get angry. Or was he just making fun of me? Geez! I couldn't understand this. It was giving me a headache. Which was especially bad because it was reminding me of the bump on my head… which throbbed whenever I thought of it. It was mostly in my head, but the pain was all the same. The feeling was almost electric. Like a bit of a zap that came from the bruise on my forehead and shot down my entire body to practically make me twitch every time.

"That aside." I heard him say in somewhat of a lighter tone. "How's that bump on your head?" Huh? How did he…?

"Better than it was." I replied still in thought. I wasn't sure he really cared anyway. If it were Zack asking, I'd be more inclined to believe the questions sincerity. I just couldn't tell if Kozue was really a friend or not. He didn't act much like one. But… I'd just rather have Zack around at times like this. He was more understanding and… he didn't like to lie to me. I could tell he was, but I knew he didn't like to. The way he acted when he lied gave him away. He always came down so hard on himself when he lied; he treated it as though he were doing something terrible. It wasn't _that_ bad when he did it. When he lied I had no idea what he was talking about. So it wasn't annoying at all. It was okay for him to lie I guess. He didn't do it often. But Kozue was lying all the time. It was like everything he said was a lie. Of course if you're living in the guise of another that was often the case. My thoughts were interrupted when I had to hold back a hiss from a sudden throbbing on my forehead. It was so weird. There was no pain for a while but now it was back… I had to guess I was thinking about it too much.

"Are you alright?" He asked. He must've seen me wince or something. I tried to ignore him but he kept looking at me and then the throbbing came back causing me to take somewhat of a deep breath. I wanted to say something, but at the same time I wouldn't. I didn't want him to look at it or do anything to take care of it. I didn't want anyone to look at it. I could take care of it and I was going to.

"It's nothing you have to worry about." I said quickly and unsurely. I wasn't going to take care of it right now, if I did he'd be tempted to help me and I didn't want that. But at the same time I knew I was gonna do that so the bruise complained rather loudly by sending another wave down my body. But I wasn't going to give in to it. I could handle this. It was only a quick shock every now and then. There wasn't even any dull pain accompanying it. The combination of those was what made things unbearable.

"Do you want me to replace your bandage then?" I heard him laugh.

What?! No. That's exactly what I didn't want him to do. I didn't want him to touch it. The action would just be something for him to use to win me over, I wasn't gonna fall for it. This guy was beginning to look sketchy. I was really beginning to think I couldn't trust him, but… given the circumstances… No! "I can do it myself when I need to." I told him. I was kinda offended by him thinking I couldn't even do **that** by myself. But maybe I should just… No! I didn't need someone taking care of me my whole life!

"Alright."

Damn right! Hey wait… what was that noise? I looked around quickly to see something, anything. But there was nothing. It was like an odd chirp noise. It sounded really familiar whatever it was. It had to be something alive. I could pick up faint little snaps of branches somewhere. "Did you hear something?" I asked. He didn't even acknowledge whether he'd heard me or not. "Hey! You aren't even listening!" I growled. **Why** did everybody do that?!

"What?" He asked hazily looking over at me. "What were you saying?"

"I asked if you heard something. Apparently not." I sighed. Nobody listened. When it was at the most crucial of moments everyone was off in lala land! "Geez. Doesn't anybody listen to me?" I asked aloud while rolling my eyes. Hopefully if I went out of my usual character and made my annoyance clear so he'd, at the very least, stop doing that. We both listened and the same series of noises happened once again. "That." I said bluntly. "Did you hear it that time?"

"Shh." Was his only response. Of course.

He went on to creep closer to the shrub and the thing hiding behind it. I had to wait there and be careful not to get an evil spell put on me or some other such nonsense that happens to damsels in distress. Oh I guess I had to be careful not to prick my finger on a spindle. Hey! While I'm at it, I should avoid eating apples as well. Wouldn't want to go into a death like sleep or whatever else crap happened to maidens. Of course these damn clothes weren't helping me in convincing others that I could take care of myself! I couldn't do anything I guess. Not even check and see what was behind a freakin' bush! Wouldn't want to risk it being the big bad wolf! So I grudgingly went over and leaned against a big boulder. Huffing the entire time about nonsense I didn't even pay attention to. It was just completely ridiculous the way I was being treated. "Wha-?!" I gasped slipping off the boulder and falling flat on my back. What was that?! I couldn't even keep my balance anymore?! Oh great! At this rate I was gonna fall and break my ankle!

Wait… I didn't slip because I had bad balance. I slipped because that boulder… w-wasn't a… a boulder. It wasn't a boulder at all. It was a monster. A big monster! I scrambled to my feet as fast as I could before it decided to turn around.

I could feel my lower jaw just shaking and trembling as I tried to form words. I had to warn Kozue. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that there was a gigantic monster right behind him. There were tremors running through my legs as I took slow steps backwards. My whole body was shaking. I stifled a shriek when I felt my back come in contact with something. I was so flustered I couldn't even remember where I was. I thought I'd run into a stranger, not Kozue. I didn't know what was going on. I was ready to bolt when… "Cloud." Okay. That was a familiar voice. It was Kozue. Okay. Okay. Reality was coming back. "What could possibly be…" I gazed up at him really quickly. He seemed lost for words for all of a second. "A Grand Horn?!" He shouted. "Where did that come from?!" He asked. I just kept on staring at him. I could tell my eyes were blank. I felt as though my soul had all but left me. I could tell what was going on, but I still wasn't there. I couldn't move or speak. That in itself was terrifying. "Wait. That was the-" He cut himself off to scream, "Look out!" Before pushing me out of the way. The fall seemed to wake me up and I got up on all fours to see if he was hurt. He didn't look it. His clothes didn't even look messed up in any way... well… Se for the small tear in his jacket. But he just looked at me to see if I was hurt I guess. There it was again. He was injured, but he was thinking of me before himself. Normal people weren't _usually_ that noble. "Get in the underbrush." He ordered. His commanding voice even sounded familiar. But this wasn't the time for that.

I was a little concerned with what was in the bushes. He hadn't figured out what it was before I'd caused **this** to happen. "But what about the…" I asked.

"Don't argue! You're unarmed, just do it!" He yelled back. Once he turned away I had the time to notice that I was staring off into space. It was shocking. I'd thought I'd heard him angry before but… I hadn't. But, then again, he wasn't angry, he was pissed. Pardon my language, but he was. His tone went beyond anger. I didn't like it. But who did? I just nodded even though he didn't see me do it and ran into the bushes. A task that wasn't so easy to accomplish. My jacket got caught on the branches and the ribbon things trailing behind me wrapped themselves around various twigs. It was a real pain. I got so mad about it that once I got my jacket unstuck I just pulled the ribbons until they gave way. I had hoped they would tear apart, but they just slipped off the twigs. Dammit! Why won't this stupid thing come apart. At least let the stupid ribbons come off! This was getting so frustrating I just wanted to…

"Kweh?"

What was that? It was that noise again, but it was louder. Where had I heard it before? I'd heard it recently but much louder than that. I… oh! Hey! It was a chocobo! That was all. Wow. Now all I had to do was find it. But, from my standing point, I couldn't see it. I got down on all fours to make myself less intimidating, if that were necessary. Personally, I didn't think it was. C'mon, me? Threatening? As if! But… if the thing was young, like it sounded, then even _my_ height might be a little scary. So I crawled around on the ground for a while looking under various things and finding nothing. In the end I had to crawl into a separate little clearing to have any hope of finding it. I had to guess it panicked when it heard me rustling through the leaves because it started to make a squawking noise. The sound seemed to come from all around, so I tried sitting up to listen more carefully for the source. But as soon as I did, a tremor came from close by. It was like an earthquake or something, but it was really fast, perhaps tremor wasn't the best word. It was more like a shudder. Either way, it caused me to lose my balance and fall forward so that my hands were sprawled out in front of me and the right side of my face scraped against the dirt. It didn't really hurt, but the shock of the blast caused my heart to stutter or something. I could feel something of an ache in my chest and for a while and all I could do was lay there and breathe. It was weird. I began to feel as though I could get up, but my limbs wouldn't move. They felt weighted down by an invisible force of some sort. Then I felt a dizzy sensation coming on. This was weird. I felt fine, but it appeared that the effects of the shaking had begun to catch up with me…

--

"Kweh…?" Came the sound from before.

I slowly opened my eyes to see a pair of clawed feet standing in front of me. They were small. Very small. Not exactly tiny, but small. The chocobo **must've** been a young one. I blinked a few times to get myself to focus and try to figure out how long it'd been. It couldn't have been _that_ long, Kozue wasn't there. And I was pretty sure he would've woken me up instead of the bird. I had to say, I preferred this. The chocobo didn't have the ability to insult me for one, and for some reason these birds always took a liking to me. It was weird. I didn't understand this at all. And I didn't think I ever would. So I guess it didn't matter.

The bird skipped away as I started to get up. That wasn't good. I had to get him out of here. I mean, I didn't know much about chocobos, but I knew yellow ones were the only ones out in the wild. I could guess from the green feathers on this one that it had to be a domestic bird. He wouldn't survive out here. At least… I thought it was a he. How do you check with chocobos? Or any bird for that matter? I knew how to tell with chickens. But that was easy. Everything else was coloration or size or something. I had no idea. All I knew was that this bird wasn't supposed to be in the wild and that was good enough for me. Besides… didn't Herb and Alvar say that Zaneth lost her chick?

I got up on my knees slowly whilst making clicking noises with my tongue off the roof of my mouth. I didn't know if it would work, it did for cats, but birds? The chick showed no sign of panic. So I guess it must've been working. I was able to get close enough to kneel over him and let him sniff if he wanted to. He didn't seem to want to. But he got closer and brushed his head up against my boot. "Hey…" I whispered getting enough courage to try and pet him. It looked like he would've let me but then something came crashing through the brush and grabbed me. As I was being pulled upward I impulsively picked up the bird without really noticing.

I looked up to see Kozue, well that was relief. But I was a bit confused to see him behaving this way. For one, he was cradling me. I couldn't understand why. Didn't he kill the monster? Or had he failed to do so? That would've explained it. I mean, not only was he in such a hurry that he was _carrying_ me, but he was **sweating**. Kozue didn't seem like the sweating type. He was the type to keep his cool, wasn't he? He was panicking, the poor bird was panicking, and I started to panic when I heard thundering steps behind us. My first thought was for Kozue to go faster. I did my best to keep my mouth shut; I knew I would only yell at him to go faster, that really wouldn't help at all. If anything, it would startle him and he'd trip and then both of us would be dead. That wouldn't do us any good. I guess I could try and get the bird to calm down. But how did I do that? I was at a real disadvantage here. And that was bad enough but then I felt a huge crash behind us, **right** behind us. It felt as though it made Kozue jump, but then he stayed in the air. How was that even possible? I clutched the bird close when I felt a lurch in Kozue's movement. I stared at black feathers drifting down as a great black wing extended from his left shoulder.

Black feathers? Wait! That made him look just like…! He did, he looked like the silhouetted figure I saw when I was let out of that box! Wait, what?! That was _**him**_?! Oh Gaia, why? That was so embarrassing! There was the possibility that it wasn't Kozue, right? He didn't look exactly like the silhouette, but that was because he'd cut his hair. When I'd seen him at the gate he looked just like the figure I'd seen when that happened. Wait a second!

We were flying! **Flying**!!! "Ahh! Gaia, what's going on?!"

He tried to say something probably to get me to calm down, but I didn't hear a word he said. I was too busy trying not to pass out and drop the poor fluttering bird. It was hard enough to focus, but now he was flapping around frantically in my arms. "Just close your eyes." I heard him say in a stern but unsure voice. Close my eyes?

"How is that supposed to help?!" I shouted in a panic. If I closed my eyes then I wouldn't be able to tell what was going on. That would be no good. That was the equivalent of wearing the blindfold like before! Then I wouldn't be able to tell where he was flying to. I didn't like being in the dark on things like this. It was too much like a surprise. And after a couple weeks at the barracks, I didn't like surprises.

"Just try it. It's supposed to help." He said with as little emotion as he could. I figured I'd better just do it. Even though I _was_ having doubts on whether or not I could even trust him. "If you puke on me, you're in trouble." He said quickly as though he'd just thought of it. What sort of trouble? I didn't really want to think about it. Not that I had the time to. Because my mind, along with the rest of my internal organs, were left behind to catch up once he pressed forward through some turbulence.

--

Time went by and I didn't even care enough to even guess as to how long we'd been flying. My eyes were closed, and I had to guess it counted for something, but I could still tell that we were flying. It wasn't very pleasant. It gave me a very uneasy feeling. A feeling of insecurity. It was like I didn't know whether I wanted to open my eyes or not. I wanted too be able to see where we were going, but I didn't want to open my eyes because I knew it would scare me. Either way it was scary. It was just plain scary! And then, on top of that, I was feeling a really strong headache. That meant I was coming to close to puking. I didn't want to find out what Kozue would do if I did; so… "Kozue…" I said trying to look in his direction while also trying to keep my eyes closed. "I'm getting a really bad headache." I didn't expect him to know what that meant. But I had to get his attention somehow. He responded as expected and I tried to think of a way to make this sound better than making the statement blunt and straightforward, but I came up with nothing. "Kozue, if I don't get down now I'm **going** to throw up."

He actually reacted a bit quicker than expected. His decent was way too fast for me to be comfortable. And he didn't land very softly either. His feet thudded on the ground and his knees bent, it really sounded like it was painful. Then I swore I felt his arms start to give way, but he stopped himself. "Wait." He murmured. He then went on to space out for several minutes. He didn't seem to notice that the bird was either going to puke or take a dump.

Oh, for the love of the planet! "Let me down already." I grunted.

"Are you going to throw up?" He asked. What? No, this was a rare occasion when my motion sickness didn't assert itself.

"No. It's not me. It's him." I answered back. He took one look at the bird and set me down a little too roughly for my liking. But whatever, I let the bird down so that he… at least I had convinced myself it was a he… well, he had to take care of some business I guess. He definitely took off fast enough. Hopefully he'd come back… or at least not go too far. I'd have to come up with a name for him. Just for the sake of calling him something as long as he was with us. Well… let's see… his parents were potentially called Zaneth and Rikash… so… a good name for him would be…? As I thought, an image of a smiling, winking, black haired SOLDIER popped into my head. "Zack?" I said aloud. But I quickly shook the thoughts of him out of my mind so I could focus. It didn't really work though. He kept on invading my thoughts whenever I tried to focus on thinking of a name. "Why is this happening?" I gasped looking to see whether Kozue was paying attention or not. And upon seeing that he wasn't I sighed with relief. Okay, there was no potential of embarrassment; I just had to **really** focus. That was possible. At least I thought it was until my thoughts rounded back to Zack. Dammit!

Wait a minute… the first time I'd really _seen_ Zack it was night. Not exactly the best memory, I really didn't like what those jerks did… or tried to do… I had no idea, but I remembered it was because I'd lagged behind the others during curfew. And that was only because I was looking out the window trying to see some stars past the smog clouds. It had been the first time I was able to catch a glimpse of any stars since I'd arrived. It was a small little slither cut through the pollutants, but I could tell what it was. There were three stars lined up so closely that it could only be Orion's belt. Orion huh…? That was a nice name. And it seemed to fit with the other names people gave chocobos. So… I guessed I'd be calling him Orion. Fine by me. "Geez." That was harder than I'd thought it was gonna be. "Why are you so worried about me puking?" I asked just out of curiosity and to turn my thoughts away from Zack.

"Because of your motion sickness and such."

What? "How do you know about that?" I asked. I knew I'd given a hint to it, but that was more altitude sickness than motion sickness. Besides, he knew there was a potential of me puking before I even said that.

He turned his vision to the upper left so that he couldn't see me. "Uhh…" Was all that could come out of his mouth.

"I didn't tell you about the motion sickness." I said just to see if he would slip up even more. "You sure you're being completely honest with me? Because right about now I get the feeling I've been lied to." Of course I'd had that feeling for a while now, but I'd made my feelings about it discreet. This wasn't enough to prove that he'd been lying the whole time, but there were other things about him that added to it. Besides, this was certainly enough to prove that he wasn't being completely honest.

"No. That's not it. I…" Nuh-uh. He wasn't able to talk his way out of this one. "I did lie…" Ah! So the truth comes out! Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. "But not to deceive you." Never mind. That was just plain pathetic.

"How is that not deception?!" I asked. This was really annoying. He even tried to lie when he'd been caught. "You lied to me, and than you lied about lying!" That was just awful! Who would bother to do something like that?! It wasn't like anyone was gonna kill him for telling the truth or anything! Gaia, this guy was weird!

"Stop! Stop! Stop! It's not nearly as bad as you think." Not as bad as I think?! Maybe not, but I wouldn't be reacting so strongly if he'd just **stop lying to me**! "I only did it because I didn't want you to-"

"Well if you didn't want me to freak out you shouldn't have flown with that wing of yours." I folded my arms and huffed. That only proved my suspicions that he wasn't who he said he was. I wasn't stupid, I could connect the dots. "The black feathers are kinda a dead give away, Kozue." He seemed to stop dead in his tracks with that statement. I guess I'd hit him over the head with that comment. I guess I could stop barraging him now and let it go. If he would admit to who he was. "So you were the one in the ship? The one who let me out of the uh… predicament… I'd stupidly put myself in?" I asked staring at the ground. I had to remind myself to put **that** one in the file of _'Really Bad Memories'_.

"Yeah. And quite a bit more." He said with a bit of a smirk.

"That was a bit unnecessary don't you think?" I groaned. I mean, really? What was _that _supposed to mean? Did he want payment? I had nothing to offer.

He looked around and scratched the back of his head. Undoubtedly it'd become awkward. And beyond that just plain weird. I'd never thought I'd see him act this way. "Hey, what happened to your bird?"

I blinked a couple times and checked around. "Orion?" I said moving forward to check in some brush. But I couldn't find him anywhere. Dang, he was good at blending in.

"You named it?!" I heard him ask from behind.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"When did you do that?!" He shouted. Geez. And he accused **me** of overreacting.

"I had to do something while we were in the air. What did you expect me to think about?" I said trying to cover up that the only thing I was thinking about while he was flying around was how terrifying it was. And I believed I thought briefly about Zack. I dunno. I couldn't remember.

"Whatever." He sighed. Good. So he wasn't going to be annoying. "That's really cute." No… wait. Now he was sounding sarcastic. "Now just forget him and come on. He's safe here anyway." Oh, nope! Never mind! He was going to do _**this**_. He stepped forward and I stepped back. There was no way I was gonna just let him drag me away from this. Not this time. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I'd left the poor bird out here alone to inevitably die. "Cloud, c'mon." He said sounding urgent.

"I'm not leaving Orion all by himself." I answered. I knew he wanted to move on, and I knew that if we didn't there was a potential of danger. But I wasn't going to budge until he agreed. Hopefully he'd cave soon. Because I knew I wasn't. So if he was serious about keeping me out of danger, he'd have to give in quickly, otherwise we were both dead.

"What do you care…?" I heard him ask. "He's not even yours." That may be true, but it didn't change a thing. He also wasn't going to intimidate me out of this. "For one reason or another, you're not taking this whole 'endangerment of you _life'_ thing seriously." Oh really? That's what he thought?

"I'm aware of the situation, Kozue." In fact I seemed to be more wary of the situation than he was at the moment. But that was just from my point of view. I just wanted to get moving **with** Orion. But he was too determined to leave him behind and that was holding us up more than he suspected the bird would. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm **not** leaving him behind." I growled. But then I decided to explain it rather than just assert my opinion. "I think I know who he belongs to. Even though I didn't expect to find him. When they said they'd '_lost'_ the baby, I'd assumed it was dead. But they **did** say it was a green chocobo. So, I think that this bird belongs to Herb and Alvar. That would explain why it was so close to where they had been camping."

He then mumbled something presumably to himself and closed his eyes. "We don't have time for you to bring a pet along. We are being tracked down! Do you really understand the severity of this situation?!"

Oh Gaia! Yes! "I know! I really do! But it doesn't change anything! He's not a wild animal. He's been raised domestically up until now. So I **can't** just leave him here!"

That seemed to rile him up quite a bit. He folded his arms and glared at me. I just did the same thing. It wasn't like that was going to work anyway. "We're not taking it."

That wasn't gonna work. I wasn't going to be bullied into leaving a poor, defenseless animal to die. It just didn't work that way. "We are." I answered back. It should've been obvious by now that I wasn't going to give in to this. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be budging either. Crap… now I wasn't as sure of myself. I wasn't going to leave the bird behind, but I wasn't so sure how… he was too good at this. There was something about his eyes that made him get in your head and mess with you. It was weird. He could be _really_ intimidating I guess. That wasn't good. How was I supposed to intimidate him like this? I was too wimpy.

"Why are you being so difficult?!" He asked angrily. "It's just a bird!"

"So what?!" I said, snapping back. "Bird or not, he's a living thing that needs our help! What if it were a person? Would it be any different?!"

"Yeah!"

"Why?!" I asked. "Why do you have to treat him as a lesser being?! … Just because he's different from you…?" I trailed off during that last part because that was more about me than the bird. He didn't respond to that. Probably because he caught on. I could tell that I'd come dangerously close to tearing up over it. I could feel it; my eyes were burning and wet. I dried my eyes with my sleeve and heard the chitter of Orion from behind. He'd come back from wherever he went and seemed happy. I gave the little bird a twitch of a smile before turning back to Kozue. His eyes were hazed as though he were thinking about something. "Kozue, please?" He looked up, but didn't say anything. "Just until I can get him back to his owners?" There was still nothing. I approached him, but he didn't move. "Kozue?" I asked. "Are you alright?"

"I just don't see how we can take him…" He murmured.

"C'mon Kozue." I said remembering a request of his from earlier. "Please?" I repeated jumping up and wrapping my arms around his waist. I hugged him and I wasn't ashamed of it. He looked like he really needed one. I had to guess he wasn't expecting it because his face went red as soon as he'd realized what I'd done. "It won't be for long, can't we take him along?" I asked once more. This time he nodded silently and a bit absent mindedly. "Thank you." I said; hugging him tightly before letting go.

This was good. I suppose he could be reasoned with after all. No matter how weird the compromises were…

--

"Is this some sort of coping mechanism?" I heard Kozue ask after several moments of walking in silence. If he'd said something earlier I wouldn't have heard it. It was really rude, but I wasn't exactly paying attention to him. I had been too busy keeping Orion entertained. He certainly was a lovely, well tempered little beast. One had to wonder just how long he'd been around people. He was, admittedly, a bit shaky at first, but he warmed up to people after five minutes or so. That was pretty good for an animal. Usually it took them longer than that. Not to mention they were usually violent. He wasn't in the least. It was probably just his size, but he was much more likable than the bigger ones. Even though they tended to be sweet creatures, no matter what the size.

"What?" I asked. The question wasn't exactly very clear. And by that I meant, _what_ was a coping mechanism? He didn't really specify.

"Kweh…?" Orion chimed in. That did nothing but make me laugh to myself. It almost sounded like he was mimicking me.

"The way you act as though nothing's happening. Is it some sort of coping mechanism?" Kozue answered. And at the same time he completely killed my mood. What was with all of this? Payback? One would think that was a bit immature for someone like Kozue. But then again… this wouldn't be the first time that he'd surprised me by doing the unexpected. Either way. Point taken. I didn't like it. Because whenever he brought it up he made me think about it; and then I'd have to spend time trying to get my mind off the grim topic. But whenever I succeeded, he brought it up again.

"Not this again?" I groaned while rolling my eyes. "I'm not pretending nothing's happening…" Not really. I wanted to, but I knew I'd never be able to do such a thing full heartedly. He then went on to say something about me not getting it and being safe when there's no need to be. Basically, not living. I wasn't gonna do that. What would be the point? "I know. But… I don't want this to completely take over my life, Kozue." That'd be just stupid. "Freaking out and being irrational isn't going to do anything to help." In fact, it'd get us both killed if it did anything at all. "I need to distract myself, because I know that's exactly what I'll do. So, if you must know, yes. It _is_ a way of coping. Okay? Just drop it." I growled. Geez!

"Okay. That's all I needed to know." He said quickly. Well good because that was really annoying. "But the bird?"

My eyes widened at that comment. "Kozue." I said not even looking at him. I made sure that the tone of my voice expressed how annoyed I was. That seemed to shut him up. He looked forward and I turned back to focus on Orion, but then he spoke again.

"We're almost to safety, if you care."

Wow… that sentence sounded a little… petty. "I do, even though the safety provided is in a very hazardous place. It's still a place, right?" I mean, why wouldn't I care? A town meant shelter, and shelter meant that there was a place to rest. Not to mention Kozue would probably leave me somewhere and go off by himself. It wasn't that I _wanted_ him to go away or anything, it's just… he was kinda a buzz kill. I faded out a little on what he said next. Something about optimism…

"Just hope that it's a good place to hide for a while." He added. Gaia! Cut it out! You wanna make me think I gonna die, just say it! 'You're going to tot-al-ly die.' If someone would just tell me that, then I could work on just accepting it.

"Kozue, just stop it." I sighed. He was being really pessimistic. I just didn't wanna deal with it anymore. Not today. I wanted to go to sleep, perhaps find someone who could get this damn belt off, and then go on with whatever life I had left. Hopefully it was enough to get Orion back to his owners. If not that much, then maybe Zack could do it for me… Man, I hated thinking about this.

"I'm just making sure you know. This guy, he's not playing around. He's out for blood, Cloud. He won't rest until he has your head." I placed my hand on my neck at the thought. My head? Gyah! The thought made my skin crawl. What could I have done to make someone want to kill me? Let alone want my… _head…_ The thought was too painful. Not something I wanted to dwell on. But now I couldn't stop thinking about it. I focused back on Orion trying to stop thinking about it but…

"Orion, I don't wanna die…" I whispered to the bird. All he did was chirp absently. I guess there was a chance I'd be okay. But…

--

**(A/N)** Holy crap this chapter came out long. Sorry again for having them talk to each other way too much. I didn't even notice while I was writing the last one. As for this one, hopefully it wasn't too much of a repeat for you guys. I'll really try to be more careful about that later on. But still, the length on this one. This is the longest chapter yet. Geez. Cloud talks too much. That's all I have to say about that. I really am sorry. But reviews are still necessary.


	13. Zack's Back!

**(A/N)** Okay, so this one is late. So sorry. It's just I had a con to get ready for and then go to, you know. All that and I guess I had exams to do. Not that I studied for those. But they still took up some valuable time. This was just really bad timing, but at least it's Zack again. Hopefully I can still get his personality right… or at least the way I used to do it. I think I can. We'll see. It's been a while.

--

I stared questioningly into the scene before me. Usually I could understand what my dreams were telling me, but this? This was just colors swirling about in a hazy way. What could that possibly mean? It almost looked like the lifestream but… more than just a solid green. There were purples and blues, even some yellow here and there. They just swirled around and twisted around each other. I couldn't make any sense of it. I was dazed and absent-mindedly took a step forward. It only took that for everything to stop. It all just froze and looked as though it were solid. It looked like I could reach out and touch it. As soon as I'd regained my senses I found myself attempting to do so.

My fingers slowly extended forward as I reached out to grasp it. Every second I got closer, there came a loud buzzing sound all around. I didn't like it, but it was only a dream and I wanted to see if anything would happen. So I continued to move forward. So much so that I could almost…

'_**BZZZZT!'**_

Everything turned red with patches of orange in thinner areas. I heard a metallic sound with sparks crackling after it. Then there was an abrupt shredding sound, like a sword piercing through the chest. At almost the same time there was a yell. I looked and looked, but there were no images, just sounds. But the shout sounded like Cloud. And then there was another. The voice for the second one took me a while to place because I'd not realized it was me. An impulsive reaction to something flying at me and splashing across my face.

I stopped to try and identify the substance that was now running down my face and dripping from my chin. This was easy enough to figure out with a quick touch and swipe of the finger. It was indeed blood. Bright red blood. Fresh blood, very fresh, and still warm. It had to have come from the chest.

This was insanity, but it all receded when I heard someone approach from behind. Laughing about something. Not exactly an evil laugh either. More like, 'I just saw the funniest thing ever', sort of laugh. It made me feel better about what I'd just seen by just knowing something funny had happened. Besides, I knew the voice. "Angeal?" I asked. "You came back?"

"Only on heavy prompting from Aerith." Was his reply. I rolled my eyes. He always tried to make it seem like he didn't really care in situations like this. But the fact of the matter was he was concerned. I could tell. It was sorta an on-going joke we had.

"So what are you laughing about?" I said to get him to say something.

"Oh, nothing. Perhaps I'll tell you later." He answered. "Right now I can't. There's something that goes along with it that you must find out for yourself first."

"Oh…" I sighed. One of those. Fine… I'd deal with it later. "Why are you here then?"

He paused and looked as though he were really trying not to think about something so that he may better concentrate. "Because…" He started and then stopped again. "Because it seems that you need some help waking up."

"What?" I asked. I needed help? That wasn't expected.

"Just hold still." He said holding my head still by placing a hand on either side of my face. "This may hurt." He warned. I didn't have much time to process it before there was an almost electrified pain on my forehead. It later occurred to me that he'd, for some reason, bashed his head against mine.

"Ow!" I gasped sitting upright.

"Sorry, I dropped it." I heard someone say.

"Wha…?" I asked. I was so dazed I couldn't even see yet.

"Cid 'dropped' your phone on your head." Tifa answered. "It went off a minute ago and we came to see if you'd woken up yet. But you were asleep when we came in. So he… well…"

"Bah, whatever. The guy's been asleep for three days. He can-"

"Three days?!" I shouted. I'd been aware that I was asleep for a while, but three days? I was shocked that had actually gotten to a number of days. "Oh man… is Cloud okay?!" I said urgently. Last I could remember he was sick; very sick. That took priority. I had to know that he was okay.

"Uhh…" They both said at once. That couldn't be good. Something like that was never a good sign.

"That's uh…" Tifa tried to answer, but she wouldn't allow herself to do it.

"We lost him." Cid blurted out.

My heart sank. Cloud was… lost? No. He couldn't be lost. How did that happen? "You… lost him?"

--

I tried to believe what Tifa was saying. But it seemed too unreal. More than likely I just didn't want to believe it. "Out the airlock?" I asked. Was he even alive? He had to be. Angeal would've told me if he weren't, wouldn't he? Yeah. If Cloud was dead, he probably would've told me that I'd failed my objective and escorted me to purgatory. That was right. What was I thinking? If Cloud were dead he definitely **would not** have been laughing.

"Yeah." Tifa said uncomfortably. "Vincent said he took care of it, but…"

"What does that mean?" I asked. What could he mean by, 'He took care of it?' I wanted to know, but I had the feeling that he left it at that. That assumption was confirmed by her shrug. That wasn't good enough. "Where did he fall? How far are we? Did you even go out and look for him?!" I'd convinced myself that he was alive, but that only gave rise to the new issue; Cloud was lost. That meant he wasn't close which meant he was in danger. That wasn't good. Not in the least. He was supposed to stay by my side at all times… Or at least in my sight.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud." Cid said from the corner of the room. "We don't know what's up. He fell out near Nibelheim and we had to go to Mideel."

Mideel? Nibelheim? That was a continent away! "I have to go find him." I said getting out of the bed and starting for the door. "He won't last long on his own."

"Cool your jets!" Cid shouted. Cool my jets? How could I do that? Even if I _had_ jets I wouldn't cool them. Jets would definitely help though. He really didn't understand that I had to find Cloud right now. "You didn't hear us out at all-"

"We're going back to look right now." Tifa broke in. That was fine. I'd almost forgotten how much Cid scared me and started something stupid. "We wanted you to help out with our mission but you slept through it so…"

"We're in Junon." Cid sighed. "Tryin' to restock on some things but, believe it or not, they're still floundering around with their economy after the uh…" He glanced at Tifa. "The incident."

"Incident?" I asked. Hmm… incident. Which incident would that be? It involved Tifa and Junon… "Oh, right! Scarlet almost killed her and then there was that catfight… with Scarlet." I said realizing there was probably a reason Cid didn't mention it. She didn't look too upset though. She looked more like something had weirded her out. "What?"

She shook her head as though to say 'nothing', but as usual Cid wouldn't be so nice. "Now it's just weird that you know that."

"Huh?" I didn't get it. I was just looking out for Cloud like I always did. Just in case _he_ got into any trouble. Not that I didn't care about Tifa but, she had her mother to look out for her **and** her father. Cloud didn't have that. Truthfully, and sadly, he had his mother… but he didn't have his father. Same in life, looking out for someone took both parents. Only I wasn't his father. I was his lover. It was weird. But, she didn't really mind it. She unexpectedly liked me. Usually mothers detested the man that took her little boy's innocence. But… she didn't mind it at all. No remark about him being too young or anything. Even though some people told me he was too young for me. **Some.** But no. Not her. She was just happy it was me rather than one of the boys at the barracks. And an even greater shock to me was that she didn't like Sephiroth. Not just after he uh… killed her. But even before that. She didn't think he was a good man. But he was… even though he didn't exactly handle Cloud as delicately as he should have. But that was what happened when a city guy tried to make it with a sheltered country boy.

"Zack?" Tifa asked. "Great. There he goes again, he's spacing."

"What?" I was spacing? I was. Oops. I couldn't help it. Thinking about his mother really made me consider some things. And wonder about his jackass of a father. She never really talked about him. Of course I didn't really talk to her either. Cloud's entire being was an enigma. His mother had brown hair and blue eyes. Blonde was probably a recessive trait on her side. So it was either he looked like his father or… but at the same time he looked like his mother. Without seeing the father Cloud was a real mystery to me. Were they both gorgeous or did Cloud get lucky?

"Zack."

"Ah!" I shouted. Someone from behind had spoken in a deep dark monotone voice. I then realized it was only Vincent. "Yes?"

"I got a call from Reno. He says he'd found him and lost him at the Gold Saucer."

"Reno?" Tifa asked.

"The Gold Saucer?!" I shouted. Really? Was there any worse place to lose someone? How could Reno, a Turk, lose one small boy? It was ludicrous. "When did he lose him? What? How?"

"Hey…" Cid said, but no one paused to let him speak.

"He found him down near Corel Prison with some chocobo farmers. He took them up to the park with the helicopter, they went to the races, left to get some food and when they came back he was gone." Vincent answered. That didn't sound too good. No. That actually didn't sound good at all. Anything could've happened. Especially if they lost him in the Chocobo Square. I couldn't help but think that he was getting violated as we sat here and talked. Most likely getting ravaged by a bunch of thugs as he kicks and coughs out screams from being held down by a lead pipe. Oh man, Angeal was going to kill me if that happened. How could I let this happen? Damn me for falling asleep! "He says he lost him the other night and doesn't know where he went."

"Hey!" I heard Cid again. This time I actually cared to pay attention. Hopefully something good. "You got an e-mail on your phone telling you to come to North Corel." North Corel? Why there? "It's from somebody claiming that they found Cloud and took him there for shelter."

"Who sent it?" I asked.

"I dunno. I didn't look." I stared for a couple seconds out of confusion. Who wouldn't? He read my mail, but he didn't bother to see who sent it? Odd, very odd. But whatever.

I picked up my phone from where it had landed after slipping off my head and looked for the message. It was the most recent, obviously and in the SOLDIER folder. That was weird. The message itself had no subject. It just told me that Cloud was fine and that they'd taken him to North Corel for us to pick up, like Cid said. And as weird as I'd thought it was before, what was even weirder was that it was in the SOLDIER folder but with an unknown sender. My phone didn't make mistakes like that. So the sender must've hacked it somehow. But how would they do that? "Is Yuffie in Wutai?" I asked. The question was more directed towards myself. There was little chance that Yuffie learned how to hack my phone, especially after I'd died. So… how did this happen? Hmm… "Oh well." I sighed. That wasn't important right now. What was important was getting this ship moving to North Corel. I had to see that he was okay for myself before I could relax. Without actually seeing him there was still the possibility of… anything really. And there was always the trustworthiness of this person to put in question. What if this person decided they wanted to-?

No, no. People weren't always like that. Whoever this person was saved him from such a fate. And not all people did so just to have a chance of their own. I'd just been so used to not being able to trust anybody for so long. And in this situation with the people I'd been seeing… it told me I didn't really have to worry as much I used to. But, then again, I hadn't met very many strangers. I'd mostly been encountering AVALANCHE members. Sephiroth was the only thing I'd seen that made me concerned for his wellbeing. Even though Sephiroth had said that he wasn't going to kill him he could still do damage. Sufficient damage. He could do anything; mental, physical. He was a trained General for pity's sake! He was a master of torture! And Cloud wasn't himself. He could make him do whatever he wanted, but it would all be for nothing. He could force Cloud to apologize a thousand times over, but it **would not** be a true apology. It'd only be words, simple words. No meaning behind them. Besides, Cloud was the one who deserved an apology. But that wasn't something anyone was about to get. Not from Sephiroth. So, I suppose, our focus should be on finding him.

"When can we leave?" I asked. I guess it came on as an impatient question because Cid gave me a dirty look. Of course, when didn't he?

"We can leave as soon as we get everything we need." Tifa answered.

"Well what are you missing?" I sighed. "I'm not meaning to sound rude but it's kinda important that we get him back." We didn't know for sure if the person he was with was equipped to handle any _sticky_ situations. Any problems by the name of Kadaj, Loz, or Yazoo were all a league out of the ordinary. And they were all under the orders of Sephiroth who, unlike them, was **not** an idiot. Well… I guess Loz was the only idiot. But the others weren't exactly as smart as him…

"We know, Zack." Vincent answered.

"We need fuel." Cid said starting toward the door. "But I've got it covered. Just go out and try to stay out of trouble." What was that supposed to mean? Stay outta trouble, huh? Since when did I do otherwise? Trouble wasn't good. It was always something to avoid. So, obviously, I was going to do so.

"Fine." I shrugged. I could take orders. But I had to take certain precautions before I could go out. Such as changing out of my uniform. As I'd been telling myself, SOLDIERs did not exist anymore… well… **I** didn't exist anymore. It wasn't as though people actually believed what the news, etcetera, told them. But I'd been gone for a while. And, based on the staring and general shocked expressions from the people of Edge, I'd say it was safe to assume that I ought to at least try to disguise myself here. It would probably work. I wasn't a very important person, so a weak attempt should've been good enough to fool them. Edge was a place that I probably should've been more careful in. But it was an emergency and there was no time to think of a good disguise. This was only Junon. The only things I was known for here was letting that gosh darn Hollander get away from me! A rather humiliating failure that happened at least twice. I believe Cloud had to chase after him once. But that didn't go over too well either. I asked him about it, but he wouldn't tell me. I suppose that meant it was really bad. He _did_ make it to the bathhouse though. So I once had inkling that Angeal had something to do with it, but even he wouldn't say anything. So I'd dropped the subject. It was probably a case of getting jumped from behind or something… Or trying to fight Angeal… hmm…

Ah well. I'd just leave it at that. No sense in trying to get the truth out of him now. As his mind was, that hadn't even happened yet. And it wouldn't. Hollander was dead. So there was no fat guy to chase. "Why was that old fat guy so hard to catch anyhow?" I asked myself as I looked around for spare clothing. "I mean, he's old. And fat." There was no logical reason as to why neither of us could catch him. It didn't make sense.

"I wonder if I should try calling Cloud." Just to tide me over until we get to North Corel. Who knows? He may be in a panic too. Wouldn't want that. So I stopped in a hallway, couldn't say which one, they all looked the same to me, and took out my phone. Staring at the window as I dialed, I remembered the feather I'd found and reached into my pocket to see if it was still there. Sure enough, it was. I mean of course it was. Where was it going to go? It wasn't as though these people go through my pockets looking for spare change or anything… Nah. They wouldn't do that. Tifa wouldn't let them. Besides, it wasn't like I had anything to take.

I tried to clear my head and just listen as the phone rang. That was a good sign. The fact that it was ringing clearly meant that his phone wasn't dead or switched off. The sad thing was I heard the responsive ring from somewhere close by. Man! That sucked. That only meant that wherever he was at this particular moment, he did not have his phone. Hopefully he didn't get separated from the anonymous savior, with MY number, along the way.

I followed the sound, even though I knew it wouldn't lead me to him. But I figured I'd better go find it so I could at least give it to him once we'd found him. It led me down to about the end of the hall and staring at a familiar door. Once I'd opened it, I found the room almost exactly how I'd left it… but with an absence of a certain crucial blonde sleeping semi-soundly in the bed. But the sound didn't lead me to the bed. It led me to the corner of the room and into the hamper. I then found the phone in the pant pocket of his uniform.

"What're you doing?" I heard Tifa ask from behind.

"Discovering Cloud's phone in the pocket of his discarded uniform." I answered transferring the phone to **my** pocket for the time being. "Tifa… not that I expected him to be wearing this all this time but… if he's not wearing this, what _is_ he wearing?"

"Oh! Uh…" She looked a bit surprised by the question. It wasn't as though I was demanding to know, but I _was_ curious. "He would be wearing… the only thing that fit?" She shrugged.

I kept my focus on the hamper to avoid her seeing my confused expression. She hadn't answered my question at all. And to further add to the dilemma was that she'd answered it in such an awkward almost… embarrassed sort of way. "And that would be?" I asked as light-heartedly as I could.

"Some of Sherra's clothes." She answered back nonchalantly. I blinked a couple of times before actually trying to understand what she'd just told me. Sherra was a name. A woman's name. The name of the ship, but the ship was named for Cid's… significant other…?

"You put him in girl clothes?!"

"If you want to be technical, yes… but it's not like we put him in a dress or anything." She said in such a way that told me she'd just noticed I wasn't _particularly_ happy about it. "He's wearing pants and a shirt. They're just… cut for a woman's body."

"Hmm…" That was okay I guess. It could've been worse. Not that I thought she'd put him in a dress or anything, he wouldn't wear it anyway. It was just… effeminate clothing. It wasn't the best thing to be lost in. Especially not something to get stuck in while out in public. Not to mention he was lost with a complete stranger wearing girl pants. Not the worst thing that could happen to somebody but it wasn't good either. There **was** the off chance that whoever this person was bothered to get him something different to wear. But… "Whatever." I'd rather find him _without_ clothes anyway.

"Okay." She said starting to tidy up a little.

"Alright…" I said trailing off and finding myself in the hall. It was then when I remembered that I had absolutely no idea where I was going. "Hey, Tifa, where did you find the spare clothes?"

"Go back towards the bridge, instead of a right take a left, it's the fourth door." She answered back not even looking up from her current task.

"Oh…" That took care of that. She wasn't even going to show me herself? I bet she walked Cloud to it. Oh, but of course she did because he never would've picked out girl clothes! Not that it was her fault, or anyone else's for that matter. But the whole situation just seemed so… so… well typical but that wasn't the point.

As I walked I began to notice the blonde's scent more and more. It was torturous. It was a very faint scent but still torturous. All this time and I still hadn't had a decent moment alone with him. It was all just problem after problem. When was the planet going to allow us even just a moment together? Preferably a moment of peace. These conditions weren't exactly ideal for arousing his inner feelings. Not that his attractions were top priority to me. I just though that when the Ancients said 'punishment' they meant 'have fun and be safe'. A common misconception, right?

"What're you doing in my closet?" I heard Cid ask while I rummaged through various articles of clothing.

"Finding something to wear. My uniform is getting kinda funky." I answered. "I thought you went to get some fuel."

"I called it in. It'll be here in a while." He sighed. "Why are you going through **my** things?"

"Huh?" What did he expect me to do? "I can't wear Sherra's clothes if that's what you want." I paused as I pulled out something suitable. "My uniform is gross and I have to at least try to avoid being recognized. Just to avoid unnecessary confrontations, of any kind, and I don't want news of our location. I'd feel really stupid if Sephiroth picked up the trail because of me."

"… well… couldn't he do that by finding out where me, Vincent or Tifa are?"

"… I never thought of that." He **would** do that, wouldn't he? So that meant he probably knew we were here. So why didn't he make a move? Did he know where Cloud was? Hopefully not.

It was thoughts like that which made me really frantic about finding the poor kid. The sooner he was back in my arms the better. That damn fuel couldn't get here quick enough! Which made me wonder if I should even risk wasting more time by going out. No. I ought to. But I'd need some money so that I could get some things. Perhaps some restore materia for any present, or future, injuries. But, more than anything, I was going to find some clothes for myself rather than Cid's stuff. Perhaps I'd try to find Cloud something too but… I couldn't be sure what his preferences were in this phase of his life. Was he more true to his real personality or was he trying to be cool and impress people? Geez… he couldn't complain with jeans, hoody, and a T-shirt. Last I could remember casual was good for everybody. It wasn't like he could get too upset. Anything was better than what he had now, right?

--

I finally stepped out in some forest green cargo pants and a black button-down shirt. It kind of surprised me that he hadn't worn them yet. Surprised, but relieved. I didn't think that I would be able to wear it if he had. It wasn't so much that it was him. It was just… I had no idea what kind of person he was. Was he the type to spontaneously go commando? I seriously doubted it, but I had no way of knowing for sure. That was the only thing that freaked me out.

Letting out a long sigh I slipped on some sunglasses to hide my mako eyes. That was one of my main concerns. With this I could at least deny any claims but I couldn't deny anything if they could see the mako glowing within my irises. That was a dead give away. Kind of crippling in stealth missions now that I had the time to think about it. Not that I was ever the stealth type. But that was beyond the point. It wasn't even that I was worried about Sephiroth finding us through me being recognized. I just didn't want to put up with it now. Nothing to slow us down. Cid told me to stay out of trouble and I intended to do so. There were no openings for small talk in my schedule. So, no talking to store clerks or anything. Just a go in real quick and then leave sorta deal.

"Hey, are you looking for something?" Somebody asked.

"Um…" I glanced over in their direction just to see if there actually _was_ something I needed. And indeed there was. He was sitting with his back to a, seemingly, abandoned building. He had his wares laid out on an old newspaper, which consisted of mostly junk. Not a person I would usually buy from but he had some gems in the rough with a couple of pieces of materia. I saw two spheres of dark green. More than likely a weak fire materia and… maybe a blizzard. I was beginning to get a little discouraged when I didn't see any of them were useful. But then I saw something lime green glimmering in the back of what looked like a lead pipe. Score! Cure materia! I was glad I'd found some but, to be honest, I was hoping for something of the _Cura_ variety. "Sorry. I think I'll keep on looking."

"Don't I know you?" He asked.

"I don't think so." I said starting to walk away.

"Sure I do. You're that Fair fella." He almost laughed.

"What're you talking about?" I asked.

"You're Zack Fair. That first class that was here years ago." He said pointing. I knew I didn't mean to but I looked a little dumbstruck by something actually recognizing me. I shrugged it off quickly and quickly denied his claim. "No. I'd recognize you anywhere. It's that scar of yours." I couldn't help but twitch a little. This guy's persistence was annoying. But it was okay. This was fine. It was only one person.

"Fine." I sighed. "You're right. Just **don't** tell anybody."

"I could do that…" He said. Good. Someone reasonable. "… If you bought something."

That caused me to go into a state of shock. I couldn't believe this guy was blackmailing me. It wasn't that I was desperate to keep my identity a secret it was just… this guy must've been desperate. I mean to threaten someone who could just kill him with no questions asked, that was dangerous. I suppose I could indulge him. "Okay." I said trying not to sound annoyed. "How much for this?" I asked holding up the Cure materia.

"Hmm… how much you got?"

"Two hundred gil." I answered.

"Then it's two hundred Gil." He replied.

"Oh come on!" I said rolling my eyes. "Fine." I grunted giving him the money and pocketing the materia. That money wasn't even mine. I… borrowed it from Vincent.

"Thanks." He said taking it without any regrets. "I always knew you were alive." He whispered Just as I'd left. Great. Not only was I blackmailed, but I was blackmailed by a complete lunatic. Of course I was dead. I'd been dead for a while. Where did he expect me to be if I weren't? Underground? Waiting until the heat let's up? Geez. Whatever. It wasn't like he actually took all my money. I'd learned over the years that if they ask how much you've got, you only tell them a small fraction of what you've got.

"Hopefully no one else identifies me because of my stupid scar." I hadn't even thought to hide the 'X' on my jaw. Oh well… I only had one more stop before it was off to find Cloud.

--

The next thing I knew I was back on the ship, slamming the door behind me, and slumping down in the hall with my chest heaving. Nothing bad had happened while I was getting the clothes I'd needed. But, when I'd left, I could only assume that the grubby man hadn't kept his mouth shut. I'd had no idea I was so popular. Or… in one man's case unpopular. Something about destroying his marriage. And then there were those people who were mad at me for 'dying' like that. Like I could help it! What was with that?!

I focused my attention on the snickering coming from the familiar blonde man that was not Cloud. "What happened?" Cid asked.

I couldn't answer right away, it was weird but, I really needed to breathe. They'd made me run **that** hard. Finally I could force out what had happened in between breaths and conclude with, "Ludicrous!"

"Haha!" Of course Cid laughed. "Had a feeling that would happen."

"Then why didn't you warn me?!" I gasped.

"I dunno." He shrugged. "We'll be leaving in a couple minutes. Why don't you go lie down or something? You've suffered enough."

Geez! What was this? Initiation?! Whatever… I could do that. Just as long as he set course for Cloud. I was really beginning to feel a need for him. It was probably just that his absence was getting to me. I just wanted to hold him. Honest. Perhaps tease him a little, but not in a sexual way. That would be… inappropriate in our current relationship. Obviously I would be respectful and make sure he was comfortable and anybody who may be around was as well. Such as Tifa. Something told me she wouldn't appreciate seeing anything like that happening. Especially since she'd had feelings for him as well. Thank the planet she wasn't a sore loser. Speaking of which…

"Hey Tifa." I said glancing at Vincent. He was just looking at people and things in that eerie way that he did. We all jolted a little as the ship took off. But that was all the reaction there was.

"Zack, are you okay?" She asked. "You don't look so good."

"Nah." I said trying to look chipper and pretend none of that ever happened. "I'm fine."

"Okay." She shrugged.

"Zack." Vincent said surprising us both. How did he always manage to do that? "You need to make a plan. This situation requires it."

Geez. It was all seriousness with him. "I've got it all covered." I said brushing him off. He looked skeptical. "I'm serious. It's covered." I said again. Now they both seemed to question it. "What? You don't trust me?"

"We do." Tifa answered.

"We're just not sure you actually know what you're talking about." Vincent added.

All I could do in response to that was fold my arms and all but pout. "Do you really think I'm _that_ much of an idiot?" I asked. "I'm not really clueless. Perhaps a spaz but… not clueless." It was then that Vincent asked me about the plan again. I just repeated that I had it covered and walked past him. He probably wanted to know what **he** could do. But I didn't exactly know how he could help yet. Sure I'd made a plan, but it was a bit in progress. I'd need to see the terrain, know where we'd be stationed, and who I had to work with. Sure I knew what the members of AVALANCHE were capable of, but I didn't know how they handled certain situations. How did they handle the remnants? I'd have to give them the game plan when we got there. It wasn't like I could be sure of any plan right now anyway. How did Cloud come up with battle plans for this guy? _Did_ he come up with battle plans when fighting Sephiroth? It wasn't like I could ask him or anything. He wouldn't remember anything about it. Besides, if he were older and not at the point where I had to control myself I'd try to ask him the question and then just lock lips with him.

"Mmm…" The thought made me think of how delicious he was. He needed to come back here and feed my ferocious appetite. I was craving more than just that though. His whole being was something I needed. He brightened the room with his smile, his laugh was contagious, even his frowns had an effect on all the surrounding persons. I'd just like to see the person who could live through one of his pouts without hugging him. Did such a person even exist? It'd be pretty hard for me to believe if someone told me there was. It was just everything about him that made people react in certain, perhaps strange, ways. Even the other cadets who used to pick on him, among other things, were only doing it because he was such a little cutie I'm sure. He was quite the mischievous siren who had the ability to attract even the most powerful people to him. Sadly, a lot of the people that responded he didn't want to. He'd even managed to attract the previously thought to be asexual General to him. Although Sephiroth quickly blew it and they became 'just friends.' "Gyah…" I sighed. "This ship needs to go faster!"

I opened the door to an empty room and quickly shut myself in. I wasn't really up to playing twenty questions with Vincent right now. His… heart (?) was in the right place and all. But I just didn't have the answers. At least not the answers he wanted to hear. I had to come up with something though; just in case he cornered me later on and risked interrupting me on something of another note. Something of equal importance. And for once I wasn't talking about trying to get closer to Cloud. I was prepared for interruptions with that… I think. It wasn't that I'd be okay with it. I just expected it to happen at really crucial points. I'd appreciate it a lot if they didn't, but since when do friends just butt out of relationships? Sephiroth never did. But maybe that was because he'd had an interest in him too. Either way. It was safe to say that friends, even though they meant well, would interfere with something they didn't fully approve of. Even though these guys really didn't have jurisdiction over our relationship because it was there before any of them were even involved. But, again, not the point!

The issue I was really worried about was whether I would be interrupted or not while trying to investigate certain somethings. Such as – it wasn't quite as important but was at the same time – I **needed** to know who Cloud was with. I doubted I could figure it out, but I had to try. Whoever they were… they were good. They were able to keep their name and number a hidden factor. It wasn't that good I guess. Anyone could make their number private I suppose but… the fact that they wanted to keep their identity a secret was what worried me. What did this someone have to hide that could be given away by something as simple as their name?

"Is Cloud with a criminal as we speak?!" I gasped.

Was my poor little blonde at the mercy of some sicko? Some… some sex offender who could easily pin him down to the cold hard floor? A rapist?! Someone who would push him down on the ground, take complete advantage of his brief state of shock and pin his wrists up over his head; then quickly stop his kicking and flailing by straddling his hips? Completely ignoring his pleas while taking both his wrists in one had and-

"Cut it out!" I hissed while repeatedly smacking a hand to my forehead. "Gaia?! What's wrong with me?!" Why did I keep thinking these awful yet arousing thoughts about Cloud? The worst thing was that they were not only probable but _**possible**__! _"For shame!" I growled.

How dare I get these dang thoughts stuck in my head of poor little Cloudy being helpless against some grotesque… I didn't even know what. All I knew was that it was wrong of me to think those things! I mean what was I?! A pervert?! Well… maybe in some ways… But I ought to be thinking thoughts about him with **me**! Why didn't I ever think up fantasies of him _and_ me?! As far as I knew I wasn't one of those people who got turned on by seeing someone else do things to my lover. I was the type that would get pissed if I actually saw it. So why did I keep on thinking about it? I didn't think _Sephiroth _would even like that. As far as I knew he was the type to freakin' **KILL **anyone who even so much as tried to touch him. I couldn't say much about the type he was now. Like I knew. I wanted to say I almost… wanted to know. Just a bit of curiosity. But… more than likely he was a sadistic bastard who would do… uh… sadistic… stuff. Which was doing the stuff sadists do… "Don't think about it!" I scolded. "Don't you dare think about it!" That would be the worst thing I could do. If anything it would just tick me off. "Don't you give even the **imaginary** Sephiroth any pleasure…" I said slumping down on the floor. I had to think of something. I didn't even care what. I just had to stop thinking those thoughts. They were maddening!

"I guess I'm showing plenty of people how weak I am without him…" I sighed. This was not only stupid but it was bad that I obsessed about him even when he was practically as far away from me as possible. How was I supposed to focus on protecting him when he was all I could think about?! "Rrrh! This is so frustrating!" How did I used to do this?! It seemed like it was impossible now but then… "Rah! Angeal…! What do I do about this?!"

There was no response. I guess it was a little much to expect one. It was just like him to stop responding and start forcing me to think on my own… but this soon? Too soon for my liking. I felt like I was going to lose it if I didn't get some help with this. He must've felt it too because he responded soon after that thought crossed my mind.

"_Stop panicking."_ I heard him say. Although I didn't even bother looking for him. I knew I wouldn't find even his counterfeit near by.

"Easier said than done." I groaned.

"_No. Now isn't the time for you to start panicking. If everyone panics you know you're in the right to. But right now you're just being ridiculous."_

"I know but…"

"_You also need to stop relying on me so much. There are people down there that can help you out you know."_ He paused probably to laugh to himself. _"It would make you seem less crazy…"_

"I'm not crazy, I'm concerned." I shot back. Even though I knew I sounded crazy. Who didn't sound crazy talking to something that appeared to not be there. Even though it actually was there…

"_Relax. I can tell you for a fact that Cloud isn't being held down and tortured as we speak."_

"And how would you know that?" I asked. He didn't answer. "You know who it is!" I gasped. "You know who's with him. You know this person?!"

"_I never said that."_ He answered. As though that were going to fix it. _"You're so nerved up that you're assuming things."_ Uh-huh… that could be true. But… _"We look after __**him**__ too, remember?"_

"Oh… yeah…" I said looking down at the floor. That was right. He was right. I couldn't help but feel a little stupid for that. But not too much. It was entirely possible that he knew the person who was currently with Cloud. But whatever. I just wished that it were me alone with him. That would've been perfect! But it wasn't so. "I wonder if he misses me…"

"_He does…"_

After that I felt his presence fade a little. It was as though he'd taken a few steps back. I supposed that meant that he'd cut the connection and wasn't going to talk to me anymore. Okay. Fine by me. The only thing that bothered me was that he left me with 'he does' instead of 'goodbye' or something along that line. Not that I was unhappy to learn that Cloud missed me but it seemed so clichéd. I wasn't even going to try to recollect how many times he'd done something like that to me. All I could do was roll my eyes and try to think about something else. That, unlike other things, would be easy to accomplish. I could do that by looking out the window… Too bad there was no window in this room.

"I wonder how close we are." I mused. Not nearly close enough knowing my luck. One had to hope we'd at least gotten **somewhere**. It was then that I took the time to marvel at my impatience. I really needed to learn how to wait… Perhaps some other time. This time around my impatience was justified most definitely. After all, it wasn't everyday that my… friend… was being hunted down by a madman. No that was only about half of the time. "Whoa." It really was. It wasn't always Sephiroth but Cloud was often being chased down by madmen. Sephiroth, Hojo, Hollander, Genesis… Interesting. Very interesting. But far from the point. I wasn't completely sure what the matter at hand was exactly. But listing all of the nut jobs in the world wasn't helping it. Perhaps I should've been focusing on the whole Sephiroth deal, but all I could think of was stuff I'd already figured out. There wasn't much else I could do on that topic at this time. It was, admittedly, a pressing matter and I couldn't stop myself from being so anxious about it. However, Angeal was right, freaking out and becoming a total wreck over it wasn't going to save anyone. It was… difficult to keep that in mind but I had to do it. Not for my sake, but more for everybody else. I was sure that they'd do fine without me. It wasn't like I was a necessity to this operation. And even though I knew that I still felt the need to appear somewhat sane in front of everybody. I felt the need to stay strong and pretend things were alright even though I wasn't alright.

"Geez. I'd forgotten how much emotional baggage comes with flesh." I groaned. And that led me to think of what it would feel like to learn that Cloud had been captured by Sephiroth. I found that the thought gave me an ache in my chest so I quickly chased it away. Hopefully I'd never have to feel that ever again. It was devastating. That's all I could describe it as. "Who am I kidding?" I asked. "Sephiroth getting his hands on Cloud? Ludicrous." I snorted. Cloud wasn't an idiot. Of course it might help if I _told_ him that Sephiroth was the one hunting for him. But I couldn't be sure what would happen. Whenever I'd tried to guess I'd only come out with **two** worse case scenarios. One, he'd think I was crazy and believe any lies Sephiroth told him or he'd all but give up. More than likely the latter. I was more concerned about him finding out that the General wanted to kill him and then pretty much kill himself by losing his drive to live. That would be the worst thing he could do to himself. I couldn't let that happen. And, regrettably, that made it so that I didn't trust him enough to know. If he found out about that I was in trouble. Cloud was a very… delicate being. He always had been. After certain incidents occurred he'd only improved in **some** areas and worsened in others.

Just thinking it about it made me let out a long sigh. That was Cloud. "Cloudy, Cloud, Cloud…" He was the type of person who often needed to be saved from himself. He had a kind of personality that would badger at every action he took. He would tear himself down at every turn. His personality was just… very unforgiving. "I need to get you back." I said again. Something I needed to stop telling myself and just **do**. There was the importance and the pressing matters… and then there was my need to have him close. I'd found that even though keeping myself restrained was torturous, it was great for building up anticipation. Something that made me want to force him to at least tell me how he felt. That would make things so much easier. "Perhaps I shouldn't try so hard to hide _my_ feelings?" Even though I didn't think I had been. Not too much anyway. Maybe… "No." Keep it as is.

--

I couldn't even tell how much time had passed. All I knew was that we were close to North Corel and I was on the edge of my seat. I must've been spacing for hours because I couldn't remember much of anything before this point. What did it matter anyway?! I was so freaked, so… high off of the building adrenaline that I was about ready to jump out of the airship myself! Which, at this point, I probably would. "I wonder how much longer…" I murmured as I fidgeted in the corner of the bridge.

"Can't you wait a few more minutes?" I heard Tifa ask almost laughing.

I looked up and tried to stop myself from fidgeting, a task that proved to be harder than one would think. But I managed to put a little bit of restraint on myself so as to not appear crazy. "I can try." I answered managing to keep my grin from showing itself. "Can you?"

"I can manage about two more minutes." She said glancing out a nearby window.

"Bravo…" I sighed. "Wish I could."

"What's there to worry about? He's not alone." Tifa said in a consoling manner.

"You trust this… _person_ he's with?" I asked. I wasn't so sure it was a criminal anymore. It was more likely that one of Sephiroth's remnants had found him and then sent me that message to throw us off their trail. Why hadn't I thought of that before? I guess that proved how messed up my mind got when Cloud was involved. Sephiroth was probably laughing at me for it. Even though I'd counted that as a failure in one category, I'd succeeded in making everyone else question whether or not to believe in the unknown, unnamed, escort. I also noticed that their heart rates increased once I'd asked. Perhaps I'd uncovered some pent up doubts and frustrations? Oh well. They'd be just as relieved when we found him if that were the case.

"Sorry." I said realizing I'd probably just broke down everyone's optimism. Something that probably took Tifa hours to build.

"Cid." Vincent said suddenly. "Land the ship here. We shouldn't get too close to the town."

"Right." The pilot answered.

That point must've been the peak of my impatience thus far. To me, the ship couldn't land fast enough. I could only hope that Cloud was somewhere nearby. But more than likely he wasn't. I suppose the center of town wasn't the best place to hide. But whatever. Thankfully North Corel wasn't a big place, so there'd be a small number of areas he could potentially be. And, with that in mind, I was planning on taking off straight for the inn as soon as I could. That would be the smartest place to look. "C'mon." I mumbled. Time itself seemed to slow down as I watched the landscape overtake the sky through the window pane. But after what seemed like minutes I felt the ship shudder as it landed and I bolted.

"Zack!" I heard Tifa shout but I didn't stop.

I ran straight to the airlock and did everything I could not to rip the door off its hinges. Instead I pulled down the handle and tapped it. Turns out, with all the built up adrenaline, that was all that was necessary. With that single tap the door swung open and I jumped out and took off into town. At this point I was unstoppable. I felt like I'd knock out anyone who tried to get in my way. It was a very dangerous state of mind I knew. But I felt it was needed. Mostly because I was angry at myself for falling asleep for three days and letting him fall out the damn airlock! I felt as though there should've been some sort of consequence for that. "Whatever…" I sighed. I'd rather focus on more positive things for the time being. For instance, the inn was coming closer into view. That meant that I was getting closer to Cloud. That was always good.

"Hey you, what're you doing?" Somebody asked as I walked into the small hovel of an inn.

"I'm looking for somebody." I answered peering into one of the two rooms. Both were empty. "Has there been a small spiky haired blonde staying here?"

"Uhh…" Geez. They had to **think** about it?! Cloud was easy to spot. The thought of anyone missing him, even in a crowd, was ludicrous! "Yes. He was here. But he left a little while ago."

"Where'd he go?" I asked. There must've been an obvious sense of desperation in my voice because it pained them to give me an 'I dunno' look. But I got it. "Alright… umm… was there anyone else?" Perhaps I could get a clue as to who this mysterious 'person' was.

"I didn't check them in so all I know is that he left with a silver haired man."

"Thanks." I said dashing out the door. That was all I needed to hear. _Silver hair_ meant **bad man**. Needless to say I'd already picked up the blonde's scent; so I already had an idea of where to go next. But it wasn't that simple. He'd been everywhere in this town. I'd have to try to distinguish which scent was the freshest. "Huh…" Was it just me, or had I been overworking my nose lately?

"AUGH!!!" Someone yelled out at the eastern border of town.

"Well… there's that." I shrugged and took off towards the source.

--

It didn't take me long to get out there. And I was a little curious as to why none of the others had followed me, but I wasn't going to let it bother me. Whatever was out there, I could definitely handle. I was expecting anything. Monsters, remnants, anything. What I found first… was a chocobo. But not just any chocobo. A green mountain chocobo. It was the cutest little thing , but what was it doing here?

"Kweh?" It chirped.

"Whatcha doing out here?" I asked kneeling down and letting it sniff my hand.

"Wark!" It screeched hopping up and down.

"Are you… trying to tell me something?" I asked. That was weird. I didn't know Lassie was a chocobo.

"Kweh." It replied turning and starting to leave. I stood in the same place for a moment scratching the back of my head. I could've sworn that bird just nodded before it walked off. "Wark!" It screeched again while jumping up so I could see it.

"Okay. Okay. I'm following you." I said striding after it.

Where was this bird supposed to be leading me? It couldn't be a trap. Sephiroth didn't have the patience to train a chocobo like this just to kill someone. He'd always gone for the more direct approach. I quickly snapped myself back to reality when I noticed the bird had quickened its pace. Soon after, I heard a series of gunshots and then another shout, then… silence. I then started picking up an accelerated heart rate and labored breathing. The sound was familiar. Very familiar. A noise that I knew only as one particularly beautiful blonde panting. He was especially gorgeous when he was losing his breath in a fit of euphoria… I felt my lips twist up into a smirk; but I had to wipe it away when I saw blonde spikes coming into view. I never knew relief could feel so good!

"Cloud!" I shouted running towards him. That drew his attention away from something else. I wondered what, but it was then that I was overtaken by the smell of fresh blood. There were a few drips of it everywhere and occasionally a small puddle. "Cloud, are you okay?" I asked checking him over. There weren't any injuries I could see. Well none that he didn't already have. Wait a second. "What're you wearing?" It looked like a jockey slash viscount slash Lloyd sort of thing. I didn't know what to call it. But whatever it was it was cute and definitely not what Tifa told me he was wearing. This was better.

"I'm fine and… please don't ask." He said picking something up. Something that smelled heavily of blood. I couldn't see what it was though.

"There are bullets everywhere…" They were all over the ground, some were bent, others were melted, and some of them were even cut in half.

"Can I explain this at a better time?" Cloud groaned. He sounded tired.

I watched him wipe off and pocket whatever he'd picked up before I'd decided it was okay to invade his personal space. "You sure you're okay?" I asked picking him up so his feet were dangling. It felt as though he were struggling for some reason, but I wasn't ready to put him down yet. It was too soon.

"Yes." He answered in an almost whining tone. That was odd. But okay. I set him down just as he'd started kicking.

"But the blood?"

"It's not mine." He said jumping up and wrapping his arms around my neck. That was a surprise. But then he started kicking again. What did he…? Oh… wait… He wasn't kicking. He was trying to swing his legs up so that I was cradling him. I see. I could do that.

Who could even think of bringing harm to this little sweetheart? I asked myself as I obliged in his rather odd request. He _must've __**really**_ missed me. I felt the arms around my neck tighten slightly as he squeezed. Gaia, he was beginning to act like the little kitten I'd loved with such a passion. Not that he had to act that way for me to love him. He was just… arousing some thoughts. But I was no idiot. I knew that he wasn't ready for **that** yet. I was just enjoying his company for now. Something I'd been without for days. And even though I was asleep for most of it, it still killed me to know that he wasn't close by my side. But instead he was probably in mid-peril for the length of it. I gently rubbed his back to keep myself from doing anything else. And as I did, he looked up at me with confusion in his eyes. He was so cute! But I wasn't going to do anything more. We could stay like this. I didn't even care how long. We could stay like this forever if he wanted to. At least, that's what it felt like. But I guess he had other plans because he made me go crazy when I felt his skin on mine. It took me a second to register what he was doing. Since the only thing this outfit kept uncovered was his head. G-Gaia! He was nuzzling me! Why was he doing that and what did I care?

But then he stopped. I couldn't imagine why. As far as I knew I was returning his affections. But still, he waited. It were as though he were thinking something over. He was taking forever. I couldn't wait much longer. What was this? Karma finally biting me for all those times I used to tease him? The anticipation was coming back. I knew either he would make the next move or I would. I just hated to be left hanging. I felt him move and then…

"Wha…" Was all I could muster when I felt the light little pecking touch of his lips on my cheek.

My face went blank once I'd realized what he'd done. But then my surprise melted into something better. An emotion that I couldn't even name my mind was so gone. I only recognized the warmth welling up from my core to the surface. My face must've been **red** because he gasped as though he'd done something wrong. But I couldn't make myself say anything to let him know he'd done absolutely **no** wrong. I couldn't speak. My voice was gone.

"Zack?" I heard him ask. But I couldn't even move to look at him. "Zack, what…?" He was cut off by something and I'd noticed it too. But I couldn't do anything to stop it. I was going down. "Zack!" He shouted as I fell backwards.

--

"Zack, are you okay?!" I heard the blonde ask.

"Hmm?" What just happened? I felt something trapped in my arms and wriggling to get free. It took a second for me to realize it was Cloud. "What's wrong?"

"You blacked out." He answered. "And now you won't let me go." I tightened my grip when he tried to pull free again. "Zack." He whined.

I didn't answer. Instead I rolled over so that he was pinned on his back and I was looking down at him. He cringed and shuddered while snapping his eyes shut and looking away. It were as though he were bracing himself for something. I wondered what. But then the answer came. It was faint, but he was mumbling a plea for me to not do something. Then I remembered. The other boys in the barracks used to pin him down and spit/drool on his face. Disgusting. I couldn't blame him for his reaction. And, tough as it was, it was a clear indication that I needed to stop what I was doing. So I stood up very slowly and then stepped back.

"Sorry, Zack, I didn't mean to make you mad." He said in a very apologetic voice.

"No. Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong." I answered while re-approaching him. "I thought I did to be completely honest." What would make him think kissing **me** was doing wrong? "I guess I did get a little carried away though." Whoops. My bad. But this was a good thing. He kissed me. It may not have been anything more than a peck but he still kissed me! And that was the best thing ever!

Before I knew it, he was in my arms again. I couldn't remember if I'd grabbed him or if he came to me but that wasn't important. All that mattered was now. I leaned in really close and gave him the same light brush of a kiss on his cheek. As expected, his face lit up with a blush. It made him look so adorable that my mind flew off again and I squeezed him in a hug.

… A part of me heard the others calling for us from a ways off. But I ignored it, pulled the blonde closer, and buried my face in his hair. He was so soft. And his hair was so feathery and silky. Still they called. But they were going away from us. Good. They could take their time finding us.

--

**(A/N)** Aw… aint that nice? And sorry again for posting this so late. It took me a long time to get thins one the way I wanted it. And I'm still not entirely sure I'm satisfied with it. But oh well… hope you guys like it.

**P.S.** A big thumbs up to anyone who can tell me where **Lloyd** comes from and why he was even mentioned. I only ask that you don't cheat and look it up please.

Thank you. Hopefully next chapter is out sooner but I wouldn't expect it before school starts. I can't make any promises. But I'll definitely try.


	14. Cloud 7

**(A/N)** I started working on this right after I posted the last one. Didn't expect to finish it so fast. I already knew where it was headed. The only figuring I had to do was how to get it there. Sometimes that can be harder than you think. But… meh. Whatever. Story of life.

**[edit]** Sorry, I forgot to answer the question in my last note. Lloyd is _Lloyd Irving_ from "Tales of Symphonia". I mentioned him because Cloud's little outfit came out looking sorta like his clothes. I haven't exactly finished the game yet, but it's a really good game. I strongly recommend it if you're interested. But keep in mind it was made about six years ago, so the graphics aren't top shelf. But if anything they're cute. They look like little chibi people. I only say, level up as much as you can!

--

It'd only been a few minutes since Kozue last spoke. And I was still a little on edge but I was able to put it out of my mind by the time we'd reached North Corel. No one was going to cut my head off. Zack wouldn't let that happen. Definitely not. And… Kozue wouldn't let them hurt me… would he? At the Gold Saucer I would've thought not. But lately… I dunno. He wasn't acting the same way he did. I couldn't understand him at all. No. He wouldn't let this guy hurt me. Sure he was rude and short-tempered when no one was around but he'd proved that his main concern is my wellbeing plenty of times. That and he wasn't _completely_ unreasonable. He let me take Orion with us. Sure it took some… uh… prompting. But he still let me take him. I'd already decided he was a good guy. There was nothing left to question about it.

"Cloud." I heard Kozue say. I showed him he had my attention but provided no verbal response. "We're getting close. We can go to the inn for the night but… I only ask that you let me do the talking. Okay? I don't want anyone to know who you are. It might be trouble."

Usually I would want to know why but, given the circumstances, I understood. "Okay." I nodded.

"Alright. I'll go in and pay for the room. You stay outside with the bird and we'll sneak him in later." He said looking forward at the collection of shacks.

"Can't we just… I dunno… ask if he's allowed inside?" I asked.

"Well… if you want to take the boring approach." He shrugged. I think I'd take my chances with the less complicated plan.

"You'll be good, won't you Orion?" The bird looked up at me and behaved as though he understood. He almost looked as though he'd nodded in agreement. That wasn't normal. But I guess it was possible. I looked ahead of me just to see that the inn was just ahead.

"I'll go on ahead." Kozue said placing his hand on my shoulder before walking off. Well. Wasn't this familiar. But I could get used to it. Kozue wasn't like everyone else. He was up front with me. I could tell he was running around hiding information from me. But he was honest. Perhaps too honest. Well… on **some** things. Some things that mattered. But on other things…

"I **did** say he was hard to read." I sighed. I guess what I really meant was that being around him made me feel as though I were in good hands. And even though he was rude, blunt, and sometimes condescending… he had a very calming tone to his voice. "You like him doncha'?" I asked the bird. Orion chirped a happy reply. So I guess that meant yes.

"Hey!" Kozue shouted waving for me to come over. I took the sign and walked over listening to Orion trail after me. Once I got close enough to see Kozue clearly I was... I was kinda weirded out. He was smiling. And it looked genuine. That never happened. Not that I remembered. Kozue smirked if anything. This wasn't natural. And when I got up there it got even worse. "Hey, kiddo, looks like we're staying here tonight." He said wrapping his arm around me and pulling me into a rather odd hug. I thought it was awkward, but he didn't seem to mind it at all. "Something the matter?" He asked in the same unusual tone he'd been using. I shook my head as though to say 'nothing'. "Okay then." He said patting my back. "So. This lovely young lady has just informed me that your pet can stay. There is but one condition. You must be sure that he does his business outside. Can you handle that?"

I nodded slowly. No one had ever talked to me like that before. Not really. It was odd.

"Alright, Yuichi, go get Orion while I finish this up." He said shooing me away. Okay. I had to guess that my name was Yuichi as long we were here. I could deal with that. Just as long as the name didn't stick.

"You're son is so cute." I heard the woman at the desk say.

My jaw dropped. That was outrageous! How could she even believe that I was Kozue's son?! "That explains why he was being so nice." I said under my breath.

"Kweh?" Orion chirped.

"C'mon." I said. "We'd better get inside. It's getting dark." Orion responded with one of his usual noises and trotted off toward the inn. I stayed still for a moment more. Though I couldn't tell why. I guess I was waiting to hear the airship. But there was nothing. Suppose I wasn't getting out of here that easily. So, now thoroughly disappointed, I dragged my feet hoping the more time I wasted the faster Zack got here. I guess that'd be too much to ask for anyhow. Perhaps he'd be here by morning? "Oh well…" I sighed.

"What's wrong?" Kozue asked. He'd been standing in the doorway waiting for me. Probably still trying to play the role of my father. And when I didn't answer right away he ushered me into the room and shut the door. "Be honest with me…" He said putting his hands on my shoulders. "Is it because I'm pretending to be your father?"

"Huh?" No. I didn't care. Kozue was a bit of a jerk but he was probably a hundred times better than my **real** father. So I shook my head.

"Are you sure? Because if it is you can just tell me." He sounded oddly sincere. "There isn't much I can do about it now but, you know… it's not like I _want_ to be your father or anything. She just assumed it."

"I don't care." I said putting my hands up as though to distance myself from him. "Really I don't." Did people actually care about things like that? I suppose they did. But I didn't.

"I just want to be sure about this."

"It's not that." I said getting a little annoyed by this. "I just… miss my friends. That's all."

"What? But you've got the bird. Isn't he enough to entertain you until they get here?"

"Uh… That's not really…" That's not the point. What was this guy's problem? "Entertainment isn't the issue. I just miss my friends."

"What do you mean?" He asked. All I could do was stare after that. He couldn't understand that I _missed_ my friends? Did this guy even **have** friends?

"I'm just… worried about them." I had been separated from them for far too long. And they didn't have Kozue to take care of things. He handled those drunken idiots without even having to lift a finger. That had to count for something.

He raised a brow skeptically. "**You** are worried about _them_?" What was that supposed to mean? I was about to answer but he cut me off. "Forget about that. Look, we're going to wait until the girl at the desk finishes her shift and then we're going to go out to get some things and… food?" It was odd that he said that last part with an upward infraction but I guessed that I wasn't supposed to think too much on it. He didn't seem to care about it.

"Why do we have to wait?" I was hungry now. Augh. My stomach was eating itself. I hadn't eaten since the bowl of chili. And that was practically two days ago.

"Because the girl gives me the creeps."

What?! That was why he was going to let me waste away?! "Then why did you come on to her?"

"I didn't come on to her." He shot back. "She just… I dunno, threw herself at me."

"But you were talking to her all flirty."

"It's called being charismatic."

Charismatic? Kozue had the ability to be charismatic? He never really showed that side to me. I mean, I suppose he seemed charismatic. But I never really saw it because he was always too busy being… well… a jerk. "Okay." I sighed. "How long do you think it'll be before she clocks out?"

"Not long, I think she has the day shift." He said glancing out the doorway.

"Okay." I sighed letting myself fall backwards on what I assumed was the bed. It kinda hurt more than I'd expected it to. I guess that was a dumb idea since the bed was essentially a mattress on the dusty floor. But I sat up as soon as I could when I heard a squawk. "Orion?" I asked when I turned to see him all ruffled up and in the middle of the bed.

"You sat on the bird, huh? That's nice." I heard Kozue laugh.

I just made a face and leaned back making sure not to sit on Orion. Although I hoped he didn't expect to sleep in the bed tonight. That may be potentially problematic. But I soon found that it wouldn't be because instead of settling back down he stepped off the mattress and found a spot in the corner. It seemed as though it only took him thirty seconds to fall asleep. Understandable. I was exhausted too, but I wasn't gonna fall asleep before I could eat…

--

"Cloud." I heard Kozue sigh as he nudged me with the tip of his boot.

"Ow..." I groaned sitting up. "What?"

"You fell asleep." He said rolling his eyes. I did? But I'd tried so hard to keep myself awake. At least I thought I had. I remembered being persistent to stay awake and get some food and then…

"Oh… uh…" After that there was nothing. I guess I did fall asleep. Whoops. "Sorry." I said yawning. "How long has it been?" Not too long I hope.

"About an hour and a half or so…" He answered. That was longer than I thought it had been. I wanted to apologize again but he put his hand up to stop me. "It's got nothing to do with you." He said pulling me up onto my feet. "She was about to leave when her replacement came by and they decided to chat for another eighty minutes before she actually left. Annoying I know, but I saw that you were asleep and figured you didn't have to stay up with me so I let you be."

"Didn't you get bored?" I asked. I knew I would've been.

He just looked at me in a confused way but at the same time he was smug. It was weird. "I don't get bored." He said bluntly. "C'mon. You're hungry, right?"

I was about to answer with much enthusiasm but my stomach beat me to it with a loud, complaining grumble. So in the end my reply was an embarrassed twitch of a smile. And that was all that was necessary. After that he just led me out of the room and waved to the person at the desk to make sure he knew we were going out. The man at the desk looked up briefly, made a mental note of us, and went back to reading a magazine that Kozue wouldn't let me see the cover to.

In the end it was only a short walk before we found a place to eat at. It was a little shack of a place with only a counter separating the kitchen and the row of stools that we sat at. It seemed the cook could make a variety of things but I just wanted an inexpensive sandwich. It was a simple ham and cheese sandwich with pickles, banana peppers for flavor, and a bit of salt and pepper on top all on Italian bread. With, obviously, a coke to go with it. "And you?" He asked Kozue.

"Just give me a soda." He said nonchalantly. The man nodded and went out a back door I hadn't previously noticed.

"Aren't you hungry?" I asked. He had gone without food for at least as long as I had. "Do you not have enough money to pay for yourself?"

"It's fine. I'm not hungry. Just focus on eating you food. You need it." He answered looking around for some reason. I cocked my head in confusion. I _needed_ it? Did he… not need it? That was an odd way to phrase it if that wasn't what he meant.

"But I haven't seen you eat this whole time." I said still thinking it was a money problem.

"I'm fine, trust me. I don't want to bother with the wasted effort." Wasted effort? He wasn't making any sense again. But he didn't seem upset or trying to hide anything so I figured I'd just ask him later. So I did as he told me to and focused on eating my own food. Especially when the man came back with the soda.

Kozue stayed pretty quiet after that. The whole time just watching his surroundings and occasionally sipping his drink. He was an odd person before, but now I was even more confused. Mostly because he made it seem as though he didn't need to eat. So then… was he even human? I was so confused. And I knew that in situations like this you weren't supposed to think about it too much, but it was human nature… or at least my nature to try and solve the puzzles put in front of me. However, I didn't exactly have enough information to finish this one. So this was mostly hurting my brain, but I just couldn't drop it. All of these odd things made me think I knew him even more. So, who was he? He had to be someone important. It had to be something so painfully obvious that I was missing it. But I…

"You all done?" I heard him ask in his 'father' voice.

"Huh?" I asked looking up. "Yeah…"

"Okay." He said standing up from his seat. He then handed some money to the man behind the counter. The man looked at it and then gaped at it.

"This is way more than what you owe me."

"Just take it all." Kozue replied starting to walk away.

"But you gave me one thousand gil. You only owe fifty." Whoa. What?! That was a gross overpayment.

"It's a generous tip." Kozue answered taking me by the arm and walking off. I wondered where we were going now. He said he needed to get some other things but food was the only reason I came out here.

"Can't I just go back to the inn?" I asked. It didn't feel right to leave Orion alone for too long.

"You most certainly cannot." He answered.

"Why? I'm really tired."

"Because it's not safe." I sighed in response to that. "Don't give me an attitude about it. You're life is being threatened, there are people hunting you down. Only a complete idiot would be stupid enough to leave you alone. No. You're staying right here where I can keep an eye on you."

As annoying as it was, there was a lot of logic behind it. So I could only murmur the last of my frustration on the issue and stare down at my boots. They still had the same shine they had as new boots. That was weird. I'd been walking around dusty roads this whole time. Come to think of it. I also noticed that my pants were still white. Not even a trace of dirt on them. Pointless information, but an observation. This outfit had to be the weirdest thing I'd ever been in. I was surprised no one had asked me if I were royalty yet. Especially when Kozue shelled out all that money. It made me curious as to how much he had. I considered asking. But that would be rude. And I didn't know how he would take it, so I kept my mouth shut. That is until I winced from a sharp pain on my forearm. I looked down and saw that the whole time we'd been walking I'd been slowly working at the bite from the dog. But I couldn't help it. It was itching like nuts and I'd managed to scratch to the point of irritation even with gloves on and through the sleeve. It had felt as though I'd reopened it. And it stung so bad. It was like scratching sunburn. "Ouch."

"Are you alright?" Kozue asked.

"Uh…" I knew it was a standard question but come on. Really? "No."

"Okay." He said carefully lifting up my right forearm and examining it I guess. I couldn't see how he could. As it was now with the clothing covering it, there didn't appear to be anything wrong. "Let's go." He then led me over to the nearby tool shop. I was kinda surprised it was still open at this hour but grateful. But not for long. The man at the counter was asleep. "Hey!" Kozue shouted banging his fist on the counter abruptly. That man was so shocked that he fell out of his seat.

"Y-yes?" He asked getting up.

"He has an arm injury that's acting up." He said pointing at me. "Do you have anything for pain?" He asked. I took note of the impatient drumming of his fingers as the man thought.

"We have potions. Will that work?" He asked.

"Yes." Kozue sighed. "I can't stay long." I heard him mumble.

"Fifty gil." The clerk answered producing a vile of purple liquid.

"Fine." Kozue answered tossing the gil with one hand as he took the potion with the other. The entire time keeping his head down. And as soon as he had the potion in hand he led me back out. Once we were back on the street with no people around he stopped, looked around and then just walked back to the inn. I followed him closely until we got back to the room. "Sorry about that."

"No problem." I answered gritting my teeth trying to ignore the impulse to itch. Just telling myself that if I itched it was going to hurt. That potion would be a nice thing to have right about now. "Kozue…"

"Hmm?" He asked looking up from previously staring at the potion. "Oh, right. This." He said handing it to me. I tried to uncap it as best I could but my left hand was shaking from wanting to itch so bad. "Do you need some help?"

"Uh…" Well yes. But I didn't really want him to do anything.

"Just give it here." He said taking it back. He took the cap off effortlessly, of course, but he didn't give it back to me. I looked at him in confusion. "Come here."

"What?"

"I'm not going to let you hold it, you'll drop it. Now come on." He answered.

"Why…?" I trailed off a bit once I'd realized what he meant. No. No way. Absolutely not. No. I shook my head furiously. I could so do it myself. He didn't have to give it to me.

"Cloud, don't be stupid." He said taking a few steps towards me. "You're having tremors. Just let me give you the potion so you can go to sleep." It _was_ true that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep, voluntarily, with this painful itch. "So…" He said grabbing my lower jaw and forcing my chin up. The cool leather of his glove made me gasp; in the short moment after I'd inhaled he stuck the vile, bottom up, in my mouth. "Stop being difficult." I watched a smug little smirk spread as he spoke.

I let the liquid spill down my throat and then just held the vile in my teeth while I glared at him. But the pain **did** go away, so I guess I couldn't stay too mad. "Stop being snarky." I replied after spitting the bottle out and catching it. I thought that got him but he kept on smiling. That was frustrating.

"Nice one." He said sarcastically. "By the way, _genius_, you're blushing."

"What?!" Oh no way. Why did that have to happen? Why did that always happen?! I turned around and covered my face with my hands, even though that didn't help much. If anything it made it worse.

"Now you're just being dramatic." He laughed. "Stop embarrassing yourself. It's a perfectly normal reaction. I really don't know why people must further their own embarrassment just because they're embarrassed that they're blushing. It makes no sense." What? Now **he** wasn't making sense. Again. "Right. I forgot how _intelligent_ you were." What did he mean by that? "Anyway. Bedtime, as a father would say it."

I yawned just thinking about it. But I wanted to know something first. "Wait, can I ask you something?"

"I can't guarantee an answer." He said folding his arms. "This isn't that whole thing about me lying to you, is it?"

"No. At least I don't think it's relevant. So…" They were just me wanting to know something random. "Why did you freak out in the shop?"

"Oh, that? The shop owner knew me. Not the clerk, but the owner. I heard him sleeping in the back."

I raised a brow. "I didn't hear anyone sleeping in the back."

"Then consider a hearing aide." He replied. I narrowed my eyes. He was good. Very good. "Okay." He said clapping his hands together. "If that's all, please, get some sleep." I wondered whether or not to use the bed but he answered before I even got to ask. "No, just take the bed."

"What're you gonna do?" I asked. He got me the food. I should let him have the bed.

"Don't worry about me. I'm going to stand guard." He answered waving his hand dismissively.

"But…" I didn't expect him to glare. "But aren't you tired?"

"No. Now just go to sleep." He sighed practically shoving me onto the mattress. "I'm not going to let something happen to you by making the classic mistakes, so stop trying to set me up for it." All I could do was blink with confusion. "I'm serious. What usually happens when the guards leave the person they're protecting _alone?"_

I shrugged in response. How was I supposed to know that? I didn't get to see many movies and all the books I read had no scenarios such as this. He slapped a hand to his forehead and then let it slide down over his mouth, as though he were trying not to say something insulting. Obviously I'd made myself look stupid. Of course, when didn't I do that? It seemed that was all I did around Kozue.

"If the guards leave the person that they're trying to protect, they either A: get captured, B: are killed, or C: get ra…" He suddenly fell silent.

"Get what?" I asked scratching the back of my head. He didn't answer. "Kozue?"

"Huh?" He said looking as though he'd just snapped out of a trance or something. "Oh, uh… nothing. They get… ratted out by a spy or something. I don't know. I spaced and lost my train of thought."

"Uh… okay." I said looking around the room. There was a hole in one of the walls that I guess was supposed to count as a window and Orion was curled up on a stack of papers in the corner. Kozue sat down under the window and leaned against the wall, very carefully. I sat up on the mattress and pulled off the boots; then, very quickly, hid my legs under the sheet of a blanket. Kozue didn't seem to notice so I decided not to be self conscious. I was about to let sleep take me, but I remembered that he mentioned something and then didn't go into detail on it. "Hey, what happens if they fall asleep?" I asked. He looked up from staring at the floor and looked as though he'd forgotten what we were just talking about. "You were just talking about classic mistakes. So, what would happen if you fell asleep?"

"Theoretically, you'd be stolen away by a silent assassin or something of the like. Then it would connect on with the other options I just listed. But more than likely you'd be taken back to base and then killed."

That was expectedly blunt. "Way to mince words, no really, I feel so safe now." I said sarcastically.

"What would be the point of mincing words?" He shrugged. "That never helps anyone. Especially if they **know** the truth deep down past their state of denial." He then looked as though he'd just realized something. "_But_ there's nothing to worry about. I won't fall asleep."

I swallowed hard and leaned back letting my head rest on the old, almost flat, pillow. My energy was running low and I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but I couldn't. Not right away. I turned over onto my side and watched Kozue get up to turn out the lights, a part of me hoped that he would say something else that was reassuring, but he didn't. He just walked back to the window, sat down, and stared at the floor. What was he thinking about? Did he really expect me to believe that he would stay up all night long? I tried to think of so many things to blot out what Kozue had said. But none of it was working. What kind of books did this guy read? I probably wouldn't ever know that either. So I focused on other things while subconsciously trying to stay awake. I had to guess that it didn't work once I'd noticed my vision had faded.

--

When I opened my eyes all I could see was white. All around. There was nothing else se for a dark figure approaching. I squinted to see, but I couldn't make out who it was. "Aerith?" I asked. The name seemed to have come out of nowhere along with the image of a brown haired girl with soft, caring eyes. But it was not her. I could just barely remember this person. It was the man who had visited me before and looked like an older version of me. The one that I'd dreamt about a while ago but couldn't remember what he'd said to me.

"Try at another guess." He said looking around suspiciously.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just… not supposed to be here…" He answered.

"Where's Aerith?"

"That's not important." He said placing his hands on my shoulders. Once he did, my mood seemed to go down. It was like all my emotions fled at his touch and left only depression. "Just remember, be wary of the General." His tone was a serious one even though his statement was vague and ridiculous.

"The General?" I asked raising a brow. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Everything." He answered shaking me slightly.

"I don't understand what you mean. The General doesn't even know I exist." I sighed.

"No! He does. He's…" He looked up abruptly and glanced around. "Damn." He released me and then turned to leave.

"Wait. Where are you going?" I asked following him.

"You ought to wake up." He said starting to run, but he stopped and looked back. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. I wanted to look back, but at the same time I didn't think it'd be a very good idea. "Shit." The man growled. "They're trying to flood me out." He took off running and at that moment I turned to see a wave of black hurtling towards us. "Run!" He shouted.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" I answered dashing after him. This was insanity! Was I the one doing this? "What's going on?" I asked with staggering breath.

"Next time." He answered running forward and disappearing.

"What?!" He left me alone?! What was I supposed to do? Keep running?

Apparently that wasn't an option; I could already see the darkness creeping up in my periphery. It didn't take it long to sweep over me and blot out the light completely. I tried to keep my legs moving but there was nothing to give me momentum anymore. From the light feeling I was experiencing, I had to guess that I was just floating in the dark. I couldn't see anything. Not even the hand that I was experimentally waving in front of my face. A bit of time passed and I was beginning to get used to the darkness. It wasn't that bad. At least I was the only one in it. But then a red light appeared from below. It was faint, but in this darkness it made quite a bit of a difference. So I looked down at it. Then all at once I felt a falling sensation hit me, the red light was getting closer and brighter. I couldn't hear it but I was sure I was screaming for help. My body hit something, but it took a second for my mind to catch up to me.

--

"Are you alright?! What the hell happened?!" Kozue shouted while shaking me a bit roughly.

"What?" I asked still a bit dazed. The shock was too much. It had been a while since I'd had a dream like that. I mean, sure, nightmares were frequent. But I hadn't had a falling dream since I was eight. I'd forgotten how much of a jolt they gave a person. Not to mention that story that if you ever hit the bottom, your body thinks you've died and then you actually _do_ die. Yeah… remembering that wasn't helping me calm down at all. I could feel myself trembling, and my breathing was heavy. I couldn't figure it out. I knew the danger was over, but I was still terrified. And from the looks of it, so was Kozue.

"What happened? One minute you were asleep and then the next you were screaming and thrashing around. You really scared the bird." He answered setting me down.

"Orion?" I looked around for him, but I couldn't see him anywhere. "Where's Orion?"

"He's hiding somewhere." Kozue said trying to calm himself down. "He got scared when I couldn't wake you up. He thought something was hurting you." He paused and glanced up and down my body. "You're not hurt, right?"

"No. Why'd he think that?"

"Cloud, you **wouldn't** wake up. And whenever I touched you, you'd scream even louder. I'm surprised no one from town came to see what was going on." He shrugged regaining his usual demeanor. "**I** thought you were dying."

"Oh… sorry." I said looking around for my boots. That dream must've been a lot longer than I'd thought seeming as how the sun was already up.

"Don't be sorry. Just tell me what that was all about." That sounded more like an order than reassurance. So Kozue was going to show this side again?

"I dunno. I was dreaming and then the guy and the darkness, then the red light and I fell. I can't get hardly any of the details." I said rubbing my temples with my fingers. "Oh, but the man said something about the General. Something I was supposed to remember."

"What was it?" Kozue asked taking on a deeper level of interest.

"Uh… I think he said be _wary_ of him. Whatever that means." I answered rolling my eyes. "Crazy, right?"

He didn't answer again. He just had that 'in intense thought' look on his face. But after several moments he nodded. "Yeah… crazy." And even though he'd answered, he still sounded distant when he said it.

I ignored it as best I could and slipped on the boots while looking for the chocobo. He wasn't on the stack of papers, he wasn't under the window or in it, and he couldn't be outside because the door to our room was closed. I tried clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth, but there was no response. "Orion." I called listening for the kwehing reply.

"He's in the closet." Kozue sighed.

"Where's the closet?" I asked looking around. I couldn't see one.

"It's the hole behind that sheet." He answered.

"I thought that was a curtain." I said walking up and pulling it aside. But, sure enough there was a hole behind it with nothing in it but a few boxes left behind from past guests. "Orion?" I asked looking down at the curled up ball of fluttering green feathers. "C'mon." I said trying to coax him out.

"Kweh?" The little bird replied.

"It's okay. I'm alright. Everything's fine now." I offered him my hand. It looked as though the trembling had stopped. That should help to convince him. "How well did you sleep, Kozue?" I asked trying to be casual to help Orion feel better.

"I told you. I was standing guard. I didn't sleep." He answered.

"You didn't sleep at all?"

"Not a wink." He replied stepping toward the door. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" I thought he said that it was a bad idea to leave me alone.

"I'll just be down the hall. Yell if you need me." He said leaving rather quickly. That was weird. I got the feeling that he wasn't coming back. But I suppressed it. Kozue wasn't going to abandon me after staying up all night to make sure I was safe. He'd be back. Probably just checking out.

"Wark!" The chocobo squawked.

"What's the matter?" I asked. I suppose this would be the point where Kozue would've told me to stay still and be quiet. But Orion was still squawking madly. "Shh. It's fine." I said picking him up. But I didn't get up; instead I crawled into the closet and sat as far back into it as I could. Just in case there was any trouble. I did my best to try and keep Orion calm while trying to steady my breathing at the same time.

"Finally." Somebody sighed. "I thought that guy would never leave." I couldn't see past the sheet covering the closet, but from the thud I had to guess that they came in through the window. "Now where's the kid?" They asked making slight movements. They must've been looking around for me. And since I'd recognized the voice to be Yazoo, it definitely wasn't safe to call for Kozue. "Cloud." He called with a laughing tone. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Orion shifted in my lap, almost like he was about to run for it. I stiffened my hold on him to prevent any wriggling or chances of escape. If he ran Yazoo might kill him.

"C'mon, Cloud, let's move this along. Get out of the closet." Yazoo sighed pulling the sheet away. I was a deer in the headlights. But Orion leapt out of my arms and ran out the door before Yazoo could even think to react. Too bad I couldn't do the same. But I tried. I jumped up and kicked him as hard as I could before I made a break for it. He'd fallen to the ground and didn't get up so either I hit him **really** hard or I hit lower than I'd aimed for. But what did I care, it wasn't my problem.

"Kozue!" I shouted running for the exit. I only stopped when a bullet hole appeared next to the door just as I was about to leave. Obviously, Yazoo hadn't stayed down long enough. I turned to see the man getting to his feet, gun in hand.

"I don't want to shoot you." He said aiming the gun directly at me. "But I will if I must."

"You didn't have a problem with it last time." I growled gripping my upper left arm. Thankfully _that one_ wasn't bothering me. None in particular were bothering me, but… meh. The point was that he shot me last time. And then he was a complete jerk about it.

"I only did it because I was told to." He sighed while rolling his eyes. "Direct orders, as is this."

"Sadistic bastard." I mumbled directing my attention to the floor.

"I knew he should've sent Loz." He slapped a hand to his forehead but kept his aim steady.

"Well then why didn't he?" I asked. Loz would've been better. He wouldn't have been the _best_ person to see, but I would've preferred him over Yazoo.

"That's just petty, he hurt you too."

"But he felt bad about it." And there was the point that _he_ didn't **shoot** me. There was a difference. Sure, he beat me up. But Yazoo shot me. I could typically get over being beaten up, what other choice did I have? It happened a lot. But he shot me!

"Tch. He only felt bad because you cried and made him realize that you weren't…" He did the same thing that everyone else was doing. The whole spacing out thing in the middle of a sentence. "Never mind. I'm just trying to say that I'm sorry too." That was… unexpected. But mostly that it sounded sincere. "I don't like it when you're mad at me, so… I'm sorry."

"Really?" I asked withdrawing slightly when he stepped forward.

"Yes. But that doesn't change the problem at hand." He then moved so fast that I didn't notice him come closer. The next thing I knew, he had me by the arm and was leading me out of the inn. And, despite his apology, he was handling me a bit roughly. My arm was twisted behind me and the gun was being jabbed into my side. And when we walked past the counter he pulled me forward to use as a blocker so that the inn keeper couldn't see the gun.

"Where you going, Yuichi?" The older man asked from his desk.

"Um… I uh… have you seen my… father?" I asked. Please say yes. Please say yes.

"Nope. Can't say that I have." He answered. Dammit! Where did you go Kozue?! "You alright? You look kind of pale."

"He's fine." Yazoo answered. "His temperature is a little high, but I'll take care of it. Like his _father_ asked me to." I rolled my eyes, which got the man's attention. "Right, Yuichi." He almost growled.

I didn't answer. And Yazoo wasn't too happy about it. He made that clear when he pressed the gun closer to me. It surprised me that he did and I must've looked shocked because the inn keeper got out of his chair. Yazoo jabbed me again, but harder this time and I had to fight off the urge to make a whimpering noise. "Uh… wait!" I said holding my free hand out in front of me. I dunno why. I guess it would help to block him or something, but… "It's true! I just didn't answer before because I felt sick!"

"Oh, now his stomach's upset too. We really should be going." Yazoo sighed pulling me along after him as he left. "That was close." He said casually. "You realize I wasn't going to shoot you, right?"

"What?!" He wasn't going to…? So I just…? The jerk just tricked me into cooperating.

"No. I'm not allowed to kill you." Yazoo laughed. "I would've killed _him_ instead."

"Oh…" Well. I guess that was bad. Really bad. So I would've had to cooperate anyway. "Yazoo?" I asked when I'd realized my eyes were burning. "Did you… get rid of Kozue before this?"

"Kozue?" The name didn't seem to be familiar to him. "You mean that guy that stayed up? All. Night. Long?" Seriously? I guess he was telling the truth then. So I nodded. "No." He shook his head. "I waited for him to leave, remember?"

"Oh… yeah." I said staring at the ground. My bottom lip started trembling, but I held it back. I refused to cry about this. So what if Kozue left me here to die? After all of that and he ditched me? Who cares? It didn't matter. I guess I should be more broken up about Orion leaving me too. But then again, he _was_ at a disadvantage in this situation. Whatever! Try not to think about it. **Do not **cry in front of Yazoo. Loz, maybe. Yazoo, no! So… "Where are we going?"

"Just to the outskirts of town to find my bike. Then I guess it's game over for you." He sighed.

Maybe but… "Only if you can catch me!" I shouted running back the way we came. It took me no time at all to pass by the inn, but Kozue was still nowhere to be seen. All I had to do was find him. He'd fix this.

--

I'd reached the outskirts of town but, hopefully, far away from Yazoo's bike. And it was a little surprising that he hadn't caught me yet. He hadn't even shot at me or tried to injure my leg to stop me. I glanced behind me to see if he was still there. He was. He was also aiming at me. I had to say, I kinda expected him to appear in front of me just in time for me to bump into him. But what was I complaining for? This was a good thing. "Whoa!" There's the bullet. Right at my feet. The noise made me jump up and fall. Probably the exact reaction he'd wanted.

"Are you quite done?" He asked approaching slowly.

"No." I grumbled getting up and taking a fighting stance.

"You can't be serious." He laughed.

That was the expected reaction. But… "I am." There was no way I could win, but I was gonna fight him. All I had to do was stall him while hoping something would happen. It usually went that way.

"You don't sound too confident in yourself." He said putting his gun away. "But… I'll humor you."

"Humor me?" That was just so… so… rude. I almost didn't want to bother fighting him anymore. I knew I couldn't. I **knew** it, okay. But I had a point to make. I couldn't give up just because of a scathing remark. Geez. If I'd made a habit of doing that I'd never accomplish anything. "Whatever." I said rolling my eyes.

"Come on then." He answered.

I shrugged internally. I really didn't want to do this. Maybe there was something better to do…? No. This was all I could do. The only other option was giving up and going quietly. That was never the thing to do. But I… I couldn't do it. But I had to. "Uh…"

"If you won't make the first move, I will." Yazoo sighed running forward to throw a punch. I did my best to dodge it, but he was too darn fast. I staggered backwards when he'd punched me in the jaw and was surprisingly only bruised. I thought he would've broken it with hardly any effort. He must've been holding back. That just added on to the insult! How was I supposed to put up with this? Especially when he was trying so hard to trash my already dangerously low morale. I couldn't keep this up. "What's the matter?" He asked grabbing the back of my head. I felt him push me forward and I thought would fall over; but instead his knee hit my gut completely knocking the wind out of me. And then he kept repeating the action until I felt like something was going to brake. "I think we're done here." He said gripping my wrist. I wanted to swear at him or at least spit, but I still couldn't breathe. Not that I would've had time to do anything, because shortly after grabbing my wrist he spun around and tossed me. I felt myself go flying but hardly remembered the landing. I knew that afterwards I felt like I wanted to puke, and that quickly turned into a need to pass out. But I couldn't. That was what he wanted. If I went out for even a second he'd have me. So I tried to think about what there was to do, which was harder to do with the growing pressure on the situation. Mostly it was that Yazoo was getting closer. And I doubted that he'd let me be.

So. What was there to work with? From my current position, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Or at least not that I could see. There was dirt. I quickly scoped the rest of the area. There was something glittering a few feet away. Something golden and… sharp! That would work! Too bad I couldn't move. "Come on." I grumbled. If there were any time for adrenaline to kick in, **now** would be the time.

"Would you just stay down? I don't like hurting you." He said when I propped myself up on my arms. But again, he didn't seem to have a problem with it. Besides, how could he think that I would just give up if he asked me to? I kinda wanted to live. "Stop!" He shouted when I got on my feet. I wasn't going to. But I might fall down. I still couldn't breathe right and my legs felt a little weak, but I'd do my best.

"You wish I would give up, but I **won't**." I answered wobbling slightly.

Once I said that he almost panicked and then started hitting me, just enough to knock me down, over and over and over again. But each and every time I got back up. It seemed to drive him nuts. But eventually he hit me so that I fell right next to the glinting object. I had no idea what it was, all I knew was that it was sharp and small enough to throw or conceal. So conceal it I did. Holding it just right with the handle in my palm and the blade hidden behind my arm. "Have you had enough yet?" He asked. I shook my head and tried to get up again. "No, no, no, no, stop. Please, just stay down." He said walking over and lifting me up by the collar of my shirt. "Why do you keep on getting up?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked swinging my arm up and driving the blade into his shoulder. "I want to live." How many times did I have to say it? If some guy showed up to take you to your death and you had the ability to stall him by refusing to be knocked out, wouldn't you and your subconscious self try as hard as you could to do so? One would think so. But for now he seemed to be shocked and I took the opportunity to get as far away from him as I could.

"AUGH!!!"

But then again, it probably wasn't a good idea to hurt Yazoo. Before he looked bored, now he looked mad. Very, very mad. That was made obvious when he pulled out the small blade and threw it at me. I had to dive out of the way for it to miss me. As it turned out, that was the least of my problems. Because when I looked back at Yazoo he had his gun again. And it was aimed directly at me… again. "Uh…" Great. _Now_ I was way too tired to move.

"Why did you stab me?!" He growled. "Why won't you give up? Why do you make me do these things?" That wasn't good. "You're going to make me shoot you, aren't you?" I shook my head. But he just smirked. "Too late now." He said taking three shots.

All I could do was close my eyes. So much for surviving. I was still determined to live, no matter what the cost. But after this, even if the shots didn't kill me, it was going to be hard to keep myself alive for very long. It was weird. Even though this all happened in an instant, everything was all slowed down. I had plenty of time to reflect on my life and how awful it was. And even though there were many things I probably shoulda wished had gone another way, I only had one regret. It was probably a little too soon to be thinking about my regrets and all, but I… I…

"What?!" I heard Yazoo gasp. It caused me to look out of curiosity, but I kinda wished I hadn't.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the three bullets spinning in front of me. But they weren't moving any closer than an inch away from my face. "What?" I didn't get it. But when I reached out to touch one I was pulled away by a strong arm.

"Sorry I'm late, kid."

"Kozue?" Gaia, thank you! He showed up! I was so glad to see him that I completely forgot about Yazoo and hugged him. He looked a little surprised by it but I wasn't gonna let up because of that. I thought he'd ditched me. He had no idea how happy I was to see him! Even more so when my bruises started to disappear. I didn't think he was going to come. "I thought you'd left." I said aloud.

"To be honest, I had." He answered. I let go and backed away slightly. That wasn't good. "Oh, get over it." He said wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me back. "I had to. But when the bird came running after me screeching about something, without you, I knew something was up."

"Who are _you_?" Yazoo growled.

Kozue smirked and replied, "Someone who thinks you shouldn't let your emotions lead you. It might get you into trouble." I buried my face in his jacket. Anything to distract him. He shouldn't be taunting Yazoo. I just wanted him to fly me out of here. "Cloud, stay back." He sighed stepping out in front of me.

"Kozue, don't do it. He's too powerful." I warned. Was he an idiot? A reckless idiot?

"Tch. Powerful." He scoffed. "If you think _that's_ powerful, then allow me correct you and demonstrate true power." He then summoned a sword out of nowhere and darted forward. He moved so fast my eyes couldn't track him. He was much faster than Yazoo. How was that even possible? Normal people couldn't move that fast. Of course, I guess… having that wing and all… he couldn't be a normal human. After that he surprised me further by blocking every one of Yazoo's shots with his sword. And Yazoo dodged each swing of his sword. They both continued on like that for several minutes before Yazoo turned towards me and fired.

It all happened so fast that I couldn't register it. He'd fired, and then… Kozue appeared in front of me. I only noticed when I heard the bullet catch in his chest. "Kozue!" What happened?! Why did…?! How could he?!

"That was underhanded of you…" Kozue grinned as he dropped his sword and fell to the ground. He was clutching his side, so that had to mean that it'd missed his heart.

"I was ordered to use whatever means necessary in order to accomplish my mission." The gunman answered casually.

"Is that so?" He asked. "How far are you willing to go to accomplish said mission?"

"What do you mean?" Yazoo appeared to be just as confused as I was. I mean really, what was the point of that question?

"Just wondering if you're prepared to die trying." And with that Kozue forced himself onto his feet; only faltering once as he did so. It was hardly noticeable. But I didn't linger on it. Mostly I wanted to know where he'd **gotten** the strength to stand. I felt uneasy… or unnerved actually. Like I wanted to say something but all I could do was stand there gaping like an idiot. Yazoo almost looked the same. But his expression quickly changed to alarm when the black wing spread out from Kozue's back. The look on his face made it obvious that he wasn't expecting _that_. Especially when the man flew at him and tackled him. But instead of just pushing him over, he didn't let go. And with one beat of his wing, they were both gone. I couldn't even tell which way they'd gone on account of the dust that had flown up and threatened to blind me. I heard Yazoo call out but the noise was coming from all around. That was it. It took me a while to realize it, but that was it. They were gone. I was relieved but partially concerned… but for who? Did it matter? I suppose I was able to get over it because I quickly dropped the topic and fell to my knees just trying to catch my breath. No time for concern, I was just relieved the danger was gone. Now I just had to calm myself down and find a place to hide while I waited for someone to come find me. I wasn't sure where I could go though. I didn't have any money.

"Cloud!" I heard someone shout. I looked around searching for the one the voice belonged. Talk about good timing. Of all the people, **Zack** was running towards me. And when I saw him… I felt something. But I couldn't tell what it was. I guess I was just… really happy to see him? I dunno. He was all I could think about when I thought I was going to die. But I shook it off as best I could. I had to get a hold of myself before I did something stupid. But… "Cloud, are you okay?" He asked as his eyes trailed up and down my body. Which afterward his eyes widened for a second; as though he'd just noticed something. "What are you wearing?"

Oh… it was only that. "I'm fine and…" I took a moment to look down at the outlandish outfit I was stuck in. "… please don't ask." I didn't really want to think about the stupid outfit. Admittedly, I would have to explain it and how I couldn't get the dumb thing off. But I didn't feel like explaining anything right now.

"There are bullets everywhere…" He gasped looking at the ground. I looked in the same general direction and noticed that there were. I hadn't noticed them before. But now that I'd thought about it… I _did_ hear a lot of clanging when those two were fighting. Kozue must've been deflecting the bullets with his sword. But I stood by what I said.

"Can I explain this at a better time?" I asked accidentally sounding a little annoyed. But he didn't seem to care. He actually looked concerned again. I turned away and disregarded it as best I could… for now. The concern was actually appropriate at this time. Still, I got up and walked over to the blade and snatched it up. But I was careful not to let Zack see it. If he did, he might get all weird and smothering. And, just to be safe, I wiped off the blood as best I could and hid it in my empty pocket. Didn't want him to go looking for it later. Not to mention it could turn out to be quite useful later on.

"You sure you're okay?" I couldn't really answer before he picked me up. And my feet were dangling. I didn't like it whenever someone did that. It always made me feel so short. But I wouldn't mind it as much if he held me more securely. So I tried to adjust myself to try and get the desired result.

"Yes." I answered remembering he'd just asked me something. I kicked a little trying to get him to catch my legs but he put me down instead. That wasn't what I wanted. And usually I'd forget it, but this time I didn't want to. I hadn't seen him for a while and I'd been wishing for him to be here since I'd been separated so… I definitely wasn't going to just stand there and pretend everything was fine.

"But the blood?" He said glancing at the crimson drops covering the ground.

"It's not mine." I answered jumping up into his arms. It was a little aggressive of me but I didn't care. So I repeated my actions from earlier and this time got the result I'd been wanting even though it took him a couple seconds. I rested my head on his shoulder almost subconsciously. And even when I'd noticed what I'd done I didn't care. Why should I? I wanted to find out. Kozue made me feel as though that were the right thing to do. Then I felt my skin, accidentally, brush against his. It felt nice. It felt very nice. The sensation was a bit of a tickle it was so light. I couldn't quite name it… so I tried to recreate the feeling by brushing up against him again. Only this time it wasn't an accident. But that only made it better. I didn't know how, but it was much better this way. His skin was unexpectedly soft and warm. It was pleasant… and… familiar. It felt so good that I did it a few more times and only gained a sense of control when Zack tensed a little.

I guess he had noticed… but he didn't seem to react negatively to it. Sure he was shocked but he didn't yell at me. So I didn't really know what to do. Should I stop and feel embarrassed and stupid or…? Or should I keep going? I'd stopped to think it through and it was a much harder decision then one would think. I didn't know what was going to happen. So how could I figure out what to do? Oh Gaia I hated this! Should I? Or shouldn't I? I… I… I took a deep breath and quickly gave him a light peck of a kiss on the cheek before looking away and staring at the ground. That was possibly the biggest mistake of my life. My gut had told me it was right, but my mind was screaming that'd I'd done wrong.

He sounded as though he'd just tried to say something, but it didn't quite come out. So I turned my head slightly and glanced over out of the corner of my eye. "Oh no!" I gasped. I'd done wrong. I'd done wrong, wrong, wrong! His face was beet red. I didn't know what that meant, but it couldn't mean anything good. What should I do?! Uh… "Zack?" I asked trying to get him to say something. But he didn't answer. That wasn't good! Oh man! What had I done? "Zack, what…?" Uh-oh. I stopped when I felt him shift a little, but it wasn't in a good way. He was falling backwards… and he was still holding me! "Zack!" What was he doing?! I tried to get free but he wouldn't let go.

"Dyah!" I yelled when he fell over. The loud thudding noise his body made when it hit the ground sounded like it **really** hurt. And I shuddered a little from the bracing grip he'd suddenly put on me. "Zack, let go." I said trying to wriggle out of his arms. I got my legs behind me but he just wrapped his arms around my upper body. "Oh, Gaia, why?" I asked closing my eyes; but for only a moment. I wasn't going to give up. There was a solution to this. "Zack?" I whispered. "Zack, wake up…" I would pinch him if I could, but I could hardly move my arms. "Zack, are you okay?!" I asked getting a little worried. He had to be alive, I could feel the slight rise and fall of his chest. I kept up my struggling while I was at it. He had to let go at some point.

"Hmm?" He groaned. Oh thank the planet, he was alright. Now he could let me… I tried to get up thinking he would release me, but he didn't. Why wouldn't he let me go? I almost started thrashing to get free. "What's wrong?" He asked sounding a little groggy.

What did he mean 'what's wrong' he had me in a freakin' death grip! "You blacked out, and now you won't let me go." I answered. I knew it sounded like a complaint, it was supposed to be. I didn't like this. But when I tried to get up again he tightened his hold. "Agh. Zack." I tried to shout but he was crushing me. This wasn't good! And as if it weren't already bad enough, he rolled over so that he was on top of me. "Oh no." I murmured looking away. He was mad. He was very mad. He was going to torture me. Just like the guys! Oh crap! "No. I won't do it again. Please don't. No. No, no, no, no, no!"

He must've heard me even though I tried to be quietly pathetic… but still pathetic. Either way, he got up off of me and backed away. "Sorry, Zack…" I said sitting up. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

He raised his hand and shook his head as Kozue did whenever I'd done something unnecessary. "No." No? Was he not accepting my apology or…? "Don't be sorry." Don't be? But he got mad at me. Shouldn't I apologize for doing… _that_? "You didn't do anything wrong." He shrugged while walking up to me. I stood up and dusted myself off. "I thought I did to be completely honest." What? I didn't get it. What did he do wrong if I didn't… what? "I guess I did get a little carried away though." I still wasn't getting this. Was he saying that he'd overreacted?

He walked over and pulled me close to him when I wasn't paying attention. "Ah!" I gasped. What was it now?! I didn't have much time to protest before he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. At least I think he did. I felt his lips on my skin. Just thinking about it made me feel all warm. Perhaps too warm. Oh no! I was blushing! No! I turned away and tried to hide it but that just seemed to make Zack laugh. No! I was so embarrassed! I guess it wasn't that bad, all it did was make him hug me. It made me feel a little better. I didn't even mind it that much when he squeezed me tightly. At least he wasn't crushing me to the point that I thought I might puncture a lung.

"Huh?" I looked up at him when he glanced behind. I looked but there was nothing. And I was about to ask but he pulled my body closer to his and let me lean against him. This I liked. It made me feel safe. I really liked it when he rested his head in my hair. It made me feel all funny and giddy. It was so nice. It made me feel like I wanted to laugh. Nothing could ruin this moment. This meant that Zack felt the same way about me that I did about him, right? I still wasn't sure whether or not this was okay. I mean, we were both guys. But… I guess some things just happened.

--

**(A/N)** Okay. First, Cloud talks WAY too much. Every time! His chapter always comes out longer! And I have to apologize but the way things turned out I need to do another fill-in chapter and then a Genesis point of view. Just warning you of what's to come. I didn't plan this. I swear. I mean it PuppetofDreams!


	15. Really Short Filler

**(A/N)** As I said, circumstances caused this to turn into a filler. So I hope you like it. Just trying to keep you guys up to date on everyone else. It was very important I promise. This one will probably be really short because Angeal, Tseng (very short), Yazoo, and Sephiroth are the only people you need to hear from. Enjoy! Please…?

--

Angeal~

I stared through the darkness and just looked for a way out. This wasn't good. I probably shouldn't have reacted on such an impulse, but I couldn't stop myself from helping that poor kid. Once I saw that he was struggling in this thing that somebody had turned his dream into I ran through the veil to help him. I just didn't think of how to get back. But if I hadn't caught Cloud before he fell into that damned box he would've been trapped in his own mind. Then his body would be left as an unmoving shell, similar to the way he was with mako poisoning. So, looking at it that way, it was probably Sephiroth who did this. Though I had no idea how. But, then again, I didn't know what he was capable of anymore. I… didn't even know **him** anymore. Still. I had to focus on how to get out of here. Usually it would've been easy, but somehow I couldn't get anywhere by walking. I'd even found that only a fraction of the space around the infernal box was solid. Stepping too far off threatened to banish be into some unknown oblivion. This was not good. Not good at all. Especially since Cloud was awake. I had to doubt that this was even a dream. If that were the case then I was stuck here now and with no way for anyone to contact me. I had to get out of here. It was crucial that I escape from this place so I could find a way to keep Sephiroth out of his head.

"That's pure assumption of course." I murmured. But the Ancients couldn't do something like _this_. Not darkness. "This has to be the work of Sephiroth." Somehow…

"Talking to yourself already?" I heard someone ask. Instantly I turned to face them thinking they were an enemy, but I found Cloud. Not the waking one, but the _actual_ Cloud of this time.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He was standing too far out. He would fall.

"It looks like I'm rescuing you." He answered taking a few steps forward. As soon as he touched the solid area the box opened up. The red light streamed out in beams and moved into each other to become one. I stared at it in awe but a look at Cloud let me see that he was afraid of it, if anything. And with good reason. The beam turned on him and seemed to become a solid substance. It was a good thing that he had raised his arms causing whatever it was to wrap around his wrists. "Damn." He growled gritting his teeth as he tried to free himself. He ended up having to use his energy to keep his feet where they were when the red substance began to pull him towards the encasement.

"Hey!" I shouted even though it didn't matter. It wasn't like yelling at it was going to stop it… Still. I rushed to help. "Hold on." I had to think of something to do.

"Does it look like I can do anything else?" He asked sounding a little too calm about the situation, but I knew otherwise. I picked him up just so that his feet left the ground, testing how strong a pull this thing had. I was actually surprised by two things; one being the incredible strength this thing had behind it, which told me that Cloud had to be really strong in order to keep himself from being dragged in. So the other surprising fact would be how light he was despite that. When I put him down he almost lost his footing which forced me to react by grabbing him and holding him close against my body. "This is great." He sighed obviously being sarcastic.

"Okay… uh…" What to do? What to do? "Right, Cloud, I need you to turn around."

"Turn around? Won't that get me wrapped up in it?"

"No, we need to make it so that _my_ back is facing it for leverage." I said turning around myself and forcing the hesitant man to do so as well. As he said, the red substance stayed stuck to him and stretched slightly in order to _stay_ stuck. **That** was good. "Now, we both need to pull hard enough to make this thing snap."

"Are you sure that it's going to work?"

"It should." I answered pulling but he just seemed to be is shock. "C'mon. I can't do it without help from you." That was definitely true. I didn't have enough strength to break this thing myself. He nodded and started to pull as hard as he could. I kept my eye on the strand of what felt like gum and watched it grow thin. It was close, very close. And then… 'Snap!'

"Alright, that's got it." I said releasing him. He quickly tried to walk away but he didn't make it far before discovering that he was stuck to me. I couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like _you_ need to be rescued." I took the substance in my hands and pinched it until it separated into two pieces. My half slung back and ended up on my _back_. I ignored it, for now, and knelt down to pick up the rest of it. The stuff had become limp and lifeless once we'd broken it. Now it was moldable with the same sticky consistency. I held on to it to show to the Ancients later on.

"Okay." He said struggling to get his portion off of his wrists and hands. It was a little hard to watch, so I helped him out a little and ripped it off of him. There was no way he would've gotten it off on his own without use of his hands. "Thank you." He took no notice of me keeping that piece as well. "Follow me. I don't like standing too close to that thing." He said pointing at the box. He then turned to leave and I followed. It was weird, but wherever he stepped was solid. There were a few minutes of silence so I decided to strike up a conversation. Just to make things a little less awkward.

"So… what are you doing in here?" It was a little strange considering he couldn't be stuck in here. I could see the light of the dream realm approaching already.

"Oh. Uh… um…" He didn't really want to answer. He actually seemed sort of… embarrassed about it. "Nothing much." Sure, that's what came out of his mouth but his hesitance at the edge of the darkness said a lot more. And once he'd realized that I'd noticed he took a breath and stepped out of the dark and into the blaring light. I was completely fine but he was only able to take a few moments of it before he attempted to shield his eyes and head back for the dark. That said it all. "It's too bright." He sighed when I stopped him. He also looked very ashamed of himself.

"It's alright." It wasn't his fault. He never really felt as though he belonged in the light. Who knew? Perhaps he didn't. But this, like most other things, could be blamed on Sephiroth. He was the one who was always making Cloud think he **belonged** in the darkness. He would always try to draw him in for his own benefit. From what I could see, Cloud was always able to prevent himself from doing what Sephiroth wanted and make sure he'd stay away from the dark. But this? Feeding this massive body of smog into the light was just a temptation tactic. And with hardly anywhere to go in there, he would've fallen into that casket eventually. Then he'd be right where that villain wanted him. I believe he'd escaped from it once before, who knew whether or not he could do it again? All this was teaching him was that he didn't belong in either. Light or dark. That was closer to the truth than thinking that he belonged in darkness. "You **don't** belong in there." I said aloud to reassure him.

"Then where _do_ I belong?" He asked narrowing his eyes.

"Why don't you ask the Ancients?"

"No. I can't." The blonde answered. That wasn't what I wanted to hear. He was just being stubborn now. Well. Two could play at that. I took the upper hand with the element of surprise and wrapped him up in the red substance before he even had time to react. "What're you doing?!" He was obviously in shock. I would be too. His arms were trapped at his sides. There wasn't much he could do now. So I picked him up and stuck him to the portion of it that was still on my back. His back to mine. "Let me go!"

"Sorry, I can't." I answered walking towards the veil. "They've been wanting to speak with you. Don't worry. It'll be alright."

"Tch. Right." He grumbled still struggling.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of them or something?" He paused but didn't relax. I could hear his heart. He was definitely scared of something, not terrified but scared. "It's okay to admit you're scared."

"Don't patronize me!" He growled. "I should've left you there!"

"Hey." That was uncalled for. Something was definitely freaking him out to the point of irrationality. I had to wonder what. But… "I'm going to blame that on the frustration and fear, okay?" His only response was sighing a little pitifully and banging his head against my shoulders. Then he just let it rest there. I was going to take that as a sign that he'd given up. "Okay." I repeated stepping through the veil.

--

Tseng~

I ended the call and returned my cell phone to my pocket. Then I turned to Reno who had a look resembling a kicked puppy. Possibly from the good tongue lashing I'd delivered for losing the target… erm… Cloud at the Gold Saucer.

"Well?" He asked.

He obviously wanted to know how it had all turned out. Vincent had just called me and told me the news on the current situation. I was still baffled as to how he'd survived falling out of the airship, but I would have to answer that at another time. "He's alive." I answered. "That does not mean you are off the hook. You still did a shotty job and lost him because you left him alone. That will count against you in the future. For now. Gather up the rest of our members." I said getting into the helicopter. "We need to get back to the president and report this. Then he will decide what to do with you." Such a failure was not tolerable and I would not allow him to get away with it. Leaving the person you were supposed to protect alone was perhaps the most amateur of all mistakes. Especially for a Turk. And considering it was **Cloud** who he had allowed this to happen to suggests that Rufus would make sure he was disciplined. Strictly disciplined…

--

Yazoo~

I lay on the ground, broken and bleeding. All I could do was wait for someone to find me. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I could barely even see. My consciousness was hardly present. But I felt as though I had to hang on.

What went wrong? I was careful. I followed Sephiroth's direct orders. He told me that it would be easy. So… why was I here now? Who was that man? Why did he have mother's power? It didn't make sense. Wouldn't Sephiroth have told me about that? How? I couldn't understand why this had happened. Cloud was so easy to capture. It was all going so right. And then that copper haired man had shown up… I thought I had beaten him. I had to threaten Cloud to do so but I shot him. He shouldn't have been able to defeat me after that. He couldn't. He'd have to have as much power as Nii-San. Perhaps more.

That wasn't possible, was it?

He'd beaten me so easily. Once he'd flown out and away from Cloud he'd beaten me mercilessly. Only to finish it all off by covering a large expanse of the area with some sort of rune that, once charged, had become explosive. I'd never seen anything like it. I was surprised that I'd even survived it. Even then, he'd left me here for some reason. Not one word before he flew off again. He hadn't even bothered to finish me off. I doubted it was to spare me, I probably wasn't worth the time or effort to do so. At least I now knew that he was someone to avoid. There was no way I was ever going to defeat him. That was obvious and he still had so much energy after using that power. He'd fought with a wound, a serious wound, but he didn't even break a sweat. Not once.

That **had** to mean he was powerful.

I had to get up. I had to tell the others about this man. This… Kozue. If I didn't he might ruin everything. I didn't like it. I hated knowing that the traitors had someone so powerful on they're side. He should be with _us_. It may be doable. He had mother's power. He should understand **us** better. Shouldn't he?

"Augh…" I groaned when I tried to move. But I couldn't get up. I could curl my fingers, that was it. I guess it was a bad idea to even try at that strained movement because it made me feel as though I were fading faster. My vision blurred more and more.

No! If I slept now I doubted I would wake up. The blood was still pouring out of my wounds and pooling around me. I could feel it leaving me, along with my strength. I couldn't die yet. I couldn't fail Nii-San like that. He'd be so mad at me. I had to hang on.

"Uh?!" I gasped. Someone was approaching. Someone found me! Who? I focused my eyes long enough to see Loz running towards me. Loz? That meant that Nii-San had sent someone. He'd seen it all.

--

Sephiroth~

Certainly my eyes deceived me! This man who had defeated Yazoo with such ease… Who was he? Everything was familiar; right down to the copper hair and pale cyan eyes. I knew him but it was taking my mind a while to retrieve a name. What was it? He was someone rather close to me. Why couldn't I remember him? He must not have done anything to cross me recently… well… until this. Wait!

"Genesis?" I murmured. That's who it was. Genesis Rhapsodos. A first class, like me. He was also one of my oldest friends. "Yes…" It was all coming back in a matter of seconds. But it couldn't be… Genesis was dead. Zackary killed him. Didn't he? I knew he did. He told me about it. And soon after he ended up killing…

"Oh!" Wait. He wasn't really dead. He returned on… "The Nibelheim mission…" Yes. Yes. He was the one who turned me onto the right path. "Genesis told me about mother."

If my mind were recalling this situation correctly… this didn't make any sense. If he were the one who led me to the answers I'd needed… then… why was he helping the traitors?! Wasn't this an act of a traitor? "Genesis betrayed me?" No. That wouldn't make any sense. He must be a double agent. That had to be it. He probably only gave Yazoo that beating in order to make his ruse more convincing. Wait, no, that didn't make any sense either. This was bad. He was ruining everything! He had to be destroyed!

I reached for Masamune but stopped.

"No…" This could be fixed without destroying him. I could use this. I'd give him a chance to switch sides and if that didn't work _then_ he'd be removed from the equation.

This was fine. I couldn't get shaken up over it. That wouldn't help me. If it did anything at all it would just cause even more mistakes. This was absolutely fine. I couldn't allow my emotions to lead me; I had to maintain a level head.

That was that.

I let off a contented sigh as I settled onto the couch in one of the few living spaces I dared to enter. The rest were for the others really. I preferred my own _private_ spaces more than company… loud, obnoxious company. It gave me the opportunity to think on things. I could only really concentrate when I didn't have to babysit those remnants. They were always arguing about something stupid and I preferred not to get in the middle like they'd wanted me to. I'd always ask why they wanted me to get involved with such ridiculous, pointless arguments. Always so insistent on it. What did I care?

At points like that I usually escaped into one of my rooms. There were plenty of options on all three floors. About half the rooms in this place were reserved for my use only. I could care less what **they** did. All I cared about was having enough space for me. I'd even taken Kadaj's first choice of a room to save for our… er… _guest_. It didn't have any windows, the dimensions were all even, the lighting was controlled from the outside, and I'd recently rigged it so that the lock was on the outside as well. There _was_ a basement level that was built like a dungeon but it smelled of disease. I didn't want the blonde to get a disease; I wanted him to stay good and healthy for a very, vey, very long time. It would be best to prolong his suffering. So starving him wouldn't be the best idea.

Apparently I still had some things to work out in my mind. Nothing too big though. I just had to make sure that I was able to keep my pet alive. It would really upset me if he died. I had to be very careful. This was something very delicate and needed to be well taken care of. Like most pets he'd need a lot of attention and perhaps affection as well. Like a lovebird or a kitten.

Everything was going fine. Just fine.

Kadaj would return soon, but perhaps I should give him one more chore to do. He was already out there, why shouldn't _he_ go talk to Genesis? There was no harm in that. Besides, that was a little more important than skulking around the NeoShinra headquarters and getting information from Rufus. The intelligence gathering was certainly important but their security was so low that spying was too easy; whereas, Genesis was a problem that needed to be taken care of as quickly as anyone was able. Zack was no threat but Genesis was different. Not to give him too much credit, but… he'd always been smarter. And now, with what Yazoo had seen, it looked as though he'd found even more power than he'd had before. Exactly _where_ he'd found that power would be a good thing to know. But that was for later. For now, there were other matters at hand.

The biggest thing was the need to reprimand Yazoo for brutalizing and then attempting to **shoot** Cloud.

--

**(A/N)** Told you it was really short. Didn't need to know much but it was still important. So… yeah. Hope you guys made it through this. Thank you.


	16. Genesis

**(A/N)** Now here's the Genesis point of view… So this chapter is longer than the last but shorter than usual ones. But I guess that's not a bad thing. Only this until it's back to Zack and Cloud then… Hmm… Nope, I won't tell. Mostly because I'm not sure I know. I have some options to sort out. But I'll try harder to update faster next time. Please enjoy it.

--

"Perhaps I should've eased up a bit." I mused as I walked along the dusty road. Maybe I should have, and I could have, but I didn't. I just shrugged. He was only a pawn of Sephiroth after all. And now as far as I knew he was dead. I didn't care if he weren't. It was just… I couldn't bring myself to kill him. He was way too pathetic. Too weak. There would be no point. But it was just so… confusing. I wanted to kill him. He was trying to destroy my shot at redemption. He… He… put Cloud in danger.

"Why do I care?" I asked myself. I didn't care. I didn't, I couldn't. He was almost insufferable. He was so fragile and meek. So **weak**! It was a pain to have to take care of him. I was only doing this because Angeal asked me to. If it were for any other reason I would be crazy! He was the dumb blonde that everyone fell for. The toy that everyone fought over. I mean come on! He was a play thing! That's all he was. And Zack and Sephiroth had been fighting over him since he'd shown up. It wasn't a very active fight. But it was a fight. And sure, Sephiroth had won it… and then ruined it. But, despite his seeming allowance of Zack's stepping in, there was always a bit of resentment.

And I swore I would kill myself if I ever got any sort of attachment to the very thing that caused my friends so much grief. How could I?! I… "Damn."

I'd spent too much time with him. He'd made me accept him and even give him a little respect. Now I had to deliberate over whether I hated myself or not. It was just, I thought _Yazoo_ was pathetic but, Cloud was so helpless it was almost ridiculous. And I was pretty sure I hated of him but, all the same, I didn't want him to hate me. It was very strange, I couldn't explain it. I suppose it was easier to hate something when you didn't know or understand it. And ever since Sephiroth had started his obsession I'd hated that boy. He was something evil to me. Something of a threat. And now that I'd spent even this much time with the damn kid he was starting to work his little hooks into me. I couldn't get rid of the poison now that it was there.

"Stupid little siren." I growled. Something about him made me start to care. I'd hated him for so long and now? Now he was… cute. It was like he wasn't human. Like he had this power of attraction or something. A subconscious way of calling others to him. I wasn't attracted to him, but I was beginning to feel very protective of him. I was trapped now. There was no way for me to undo this. Dammit! He had me! It wasn't that bad, but still! It was a pride thing! Why didn't I think of this before I agreed to it? "Because I wanted to help Angeal…" I sighed. Stupid Angeal. He was another person who had a strange power. All he had to do was ask someone to do something and they'd do it! It was like you just didn't want to disappoint him.

But that was more like if you didn't do what he asked, he'd give you _**The**__ Look._ I never liked getting that look. That was something that was quite common in mothers. Whatever Cloud had going on wasn't like The Look. It was just annoying. Something that made me glad that he wasn't here right now and hopefully I wouldn't have to deal with him for a while. He was just too…

"Bleh!" I spat. He was way too sweet. Sickeningly sweet.

As I'd said, he wasn't my type or anyone I would have _chosen_ to associate with. He also wasn't the type Angeal and I had thought was Sephiroth's. Then again, before he showed up Sephiroth didn't really **have** a type. "You think you know a guy…" I sighed. I thought I knew a great, powerful General, and then I found that he liked to play with 'dolls'. Or should I say _puppets_? I'd expected it from Zack, but Sephiroth? It was kind of strange. You couldn't really blame me. Cloud acted as a fast spreading poison that quickly infected everybody around me. Turning most of them into slack-jawed idiots whenever he passed by. It didn't matter what he was doing. They always did it. Whenever they did all I could do was stand there and roll my eyes.

Now I found myself defending him and fighting off everyone who meant to bring harm to him. How hypocritical. After all, I'd wanted to hurt him so many times before. I didn't think I actually had the gall to do it, but sometimes he just made me so mad. I used to see him running through the halls being chased by several others boys and had thoughts of joining them. Of course I was only kidding myself. I knew it was my duty to break up any fights I saw, or to protect wimpy cadets to avoid lawsuits. I was supposed to set an example… or something like that. What a _great_ job I did. I'd seen him getting chased at least six times before I left and simply turned the other way. It's a good thing he never took notice of me. I had no idea what I'd do if he'd actually asked me to help him. Most likely I'd do it… but grudgingly. Whatever. That wasn't the case anymore. It wasn't a problem I needed to deal with.

What I needed to do was find some information, I just needed a full handle on the situation. I needed to see something close to what Sephiroth had read. That way I could get an understanding on what he thought to be true. I couldn't be sure if it was worth it to go check the Nibelheim mansion and see if those records he'd found were still there. But I had to try. After all, one should try to get as much information as possible in order to think of a clear solution. Otherwise there was a greater possibility for mistakes. And this was a very serious operation, mistakes weren't an option. I had to either make Sephiroth snap out of this, which was highly unlikely, or bring him down. And preferably he'd stay down.

"As if!" He was stubborn and kept on coming back. Quite possibly he'd only stay dead if he took Cloud with him. I couldn't tell which objective he cared about more. But I wasn't willing to test it.

I looked out on the horizon and observed that I could see the mountains that would eventually give way to the village behind them. It was probably a good idea to start flying at this point. I didn't want the villagers to see me, not right away at least. It would be nice to gain a bit of perspective on how fast news of my appearance had spread from the Gold Saucer. But at the same time I didn't want to risk more people finding out about who wouldn't have known otherwise. Not that there was much anyone could do. They were all too afraid of me. So. Even though I was alive… past mistakes had made it so that I had nowhere that I belonged really. I was without kith or kin, so to speak. Not the best existence but, as long as I could help others, I would go on. My mind was unclouded, I could see clearly for the first time since I can't even remember when. Now I wanted to help Sephiroth do the same. But I wasn't sure if I could. He was mentally unstable. And he **had** been for a while. Even when I knew him as the General his mind was a bit delicate. Always tinkering on the brink. People had to be careful when talking to him on certain subjects. Not that many people did. Not even me. "Whatever." I sighed as I allowed the wing to spread from my back and took off into the sky.

My eyes scanned the ground below as I sailed through the air. I watched the landscape fly by. The occasional monster running through the plains. Flying into the mountains. How lucky they must be to have such simplistic lives. All their thoughts were purely on instinct. After all of this it would seem like a half life but still better than this. Complex thought could easily be troubling. And very easily screw up your life. As it turned out, so could reading. Especially if the thing you're reading is false and or you're mentally unstable. This time I would be talking more about myself than Sephiroth. I didn't even read falsified records. I read an epic poem and lost my mind. I didn't really feel too good about that. I suppose what the scientists should've learned from that is that SOLDIERs really shouldn't be allowed to read. At all. I figured they'd know that it's better to keep the pawns stupid anyway. Or whatever chess pieces we were. I wasn't all that familiar with the game. All I knew was that pawn was the lowest so… perhaps the people in the army were the pawns and the SOLDIERs were the knights? I think those were the odd pieces that moved in the odd hook way. Pretty useful in odd circumstances, to get pieces in odd places. Yeah… knights. Since knights weren't exactly model characters either. Chivalry was a bit of a fantasy. Some of the knights were actually good men, like Fair. But most of them were creeps… like me.

"Ah!" I gasped when I saw a helicopter taking off out of the town below. It had the Shinra insignia on the door. That meant it was what was left of the Turks. Them seeing me, let alone getting chopped to bits by the blades were both really bad things. On the one hand I could face serious injury or even death. On the other they'd probably try to arrest me. This was going to be tricky.

I tried my best to pull upward, which was a bit harder to do, but the blades on the helicopter were pulling me down. So I flapped my wing a bit more rapidly and used my arms to try and swim upward. It was working a little at a time, but I wouldn't be able to keep it up. The helicopter was rising too fast. I summoned my rapier and brought my arms in close to my body. The whole while gripping the sword as tightly as I could. After a moment I flung my arms outward and flailed around a bit in order to get myself spiraling; holding the sword outward for more momentum. As I'd hoped, despite it being a stretch, I went spinning away from the helicopter and towards the forest surrounding the village. There was no use for the sword anymore. I was a safe distance from the helicopter now. So I glided down so that I was in amongst the trees. Evading branches and trunks, breaking several twigs as I went.

I couldn't help but notice that the pilot had seen me. At least I was pretty sure he had. He looked right at me. His jaw even dropped. Hopefully he would assume that it was a hallucination or something. If he didn't, I doubted anyone would believe him.

The forest was thinning out the further I went. I could now see the craggy hillside that concealed the mansion. All it took was a quick avoidance and then alighting down behind the gate.

--

Once inside I could hardly breath. Just opening the door caused so much dust to fly up that I had to hide my face in the crook of my arm. Despite the dust, this place was in pretty good shape. The wood was slightly worn; as though some monsters had been using the walls as scratching posts. The curtains and furniture were faded from the constant sunlight flooding in through the windows. I sidestepped out of the dust particles and walked around, investigating how much of the manor was open. I quickly learned that quite a few of the doors were locked. Hopefully the basement wasn't locked. If it was I think I'd just break the door down. There were alternate ways of getting into the basement… but I think it'd be much easier just to wreck this place rather than going through all of that.

"Where _is_ the basement?" I pondered looking around. It wasn't anywhere on the ground floor… odd. But all these doors were locked. "I guess that means I have to go upstairs." I sighed.

'Clack! Clack! Clack!' I spun around on my heels to look at the stairs. Something round was rolling down them. I watched it bounce down the stairs and ghost across the floor until it bumped into the front door and stopped after rebounding off the wood and hitting the door again. That was really weird. I walked over and knelt down to look at it. It looked like a piece of red materia. But I didn't sense any presence or power coming from it. Typically this would be a summon materia, but it felt as though the power had been drained from it. But that wasn't really the issue here. Somebody must've kicked this down the stairs. That meant there was someone else in here. I pocketed the materia and looked up.

I narrowed my eyes and glanced back at the stairs. There wasn't anything there. Still, I probably should be on my guard for a while. What was baffling was that there was so much dust on the floor that I was leaving footprints. But when I walked in there were none. So how did someone else get in here? Unless they got in through the sewer… hmm… We'll see.

The stairs made a low grumble of a creak as I walked up. The second floor was just about as dusty as before. And now I could see footprints. They were everywhere. I took a left from the top of the steps and looked at the collection of doors at the end of the hall. There were three of them. I took a few steps, the whole time glancing behind me. There was no way I was going to get jumped from behind. That would be way too embarrassing. I used to be a first class. What was more irritating was the first door I opened may as well have been locked because there was nothing inside. Just some beds, an empty desk, and a wardrobe. However, the wardrobe had nothing inside. There was a patch in it where the layer of dust was thinner. Square shaped with some thick lines leading to it. Someone must've picked it up. "Oh…" Never mind. It was a stretch, but I could guess what it was.

The next door was locked. I peeked inside the keyhole and instantly backed away. Just getting that close allowed me to smell the stench coming from inside. Why the hell were a bunch of rotten apples in there?! Augh! Disgusting! There was no point in going in there.

The last door wasn't locked. But it was a dead end as well. There was a shred of paper on the floor but it looked as though it would disintegrate if I touched it. So I ignored it. Otherwise the only interesting thing in the room was a safe. An already open, empty safe. There were books in here, but some were destroyed or just not worth taking the time to read. So I moved on. The entrance to the basement must've been on the other end of the hall. Which was where I was headed.

The task was relatively easy. However, I thought I heard more noises. Coming from ahead of me. I ran towards the source of the sound and went through the door on the right. That led to a somewhat empty room with another door. "Damn!" I hissed when I found that the door was locked. Annoyance quickly turned to frustration when I heard more noises coming from behind the door. I turned around and tried to think of a different way inside, but rational thoughts dissipated when I identified sound as laughter.

I spun around and blasted the door with a thunder spell. Splinters went scattering everywhere. I leapt forward into the room and looked around for the person who had been in there. My eyes narrowed into a glare when there was no one. The basement door was even open. And since there was no sign of broken glass and no windows were open, the basement was the only place they could've gone. So, naturally, I walked down into the dark depths. The sound of the door closing behind me made me panic slightly, but I wouldn't let it show. I didn't need to go out through the door. I would just use the sewer. No big deal. It wasn't like it was something I couldn't handle. The most that was down there was a handful of Sahagins. Nothing to worry about.

But it wouldn't be stupid to be cautious as I walked down into the badly lit underground of the manor. Which for the first few levels of it there were one or two ladders and plenty of opened treasure chests. This was ridiculous, there was no way they could've gotten this far ahead of me. Perhaps I scared them a little too much when I destroyed the door. My heart jolted when the lights flickered. Perhaps the electricity was finally going or whoever else was down here was trying to get back at me for scaring them. It wouldn't work. I wasn't going to be scared by this. It was just some faulty wiring. Of course it didn't really help that this place kind of creeped me out. It was filled with the screams of Hojo's victims. Nothing about this place was good.

My pace quickened when I reached the area where the coffins were kept. Just knowing that made me feel worse, but it meant I was close to the lab and the library within. The progression stopped when I saw that my pocket was glowing. I took the materia out of my pocket and stared at as it sat in the palm of my hand. The glow intensified but then fizzled, that was weird. Not only that but I noticed that it had gotten even quieter after that. I re-pocketed the materia and looked around. Accidently letting out a yelp when something hit the back of my foot. The dim glow of this level of the basement didn't really let me see what it was.

I knelt down to get a closer look. And I couldn't believe it. It was what appeared to be another piece of materia. But not like one I'd ever seen before. However, this one had some power to it. But before I could pick it up it released what it was holding. I tumbled out of the way when a beam of light shot outward, but then stopped. It became an image, something like a hologram. A transparent image of Sephiroth. What the hell? That wasn't something you saw everyday.

"_Hello, Genesis." _The image sighed.

"Wow, even an image of you sounds conceited." I answered. Even though it couldn't answer back. But that's what made it fun.

"_It comes down to this. You are a danger to my plans, I'm all too aware of this. But instead of simply killing you I've decided to give you a fair chance to change."_

I suppose I should listen to this ridiculous thing. Not that I was worried about dying. It would just be good for a laugh. Mostly I just wanted to know how this thing got down here. I mean, I already decided to disregard it. He was going to give **me** a chance to change? He needed to change. Not me. I'd already changed, many times. And I think I'd finally turned out just fine.

"_Why kill you when you could be a great help to me?"_

"True." I said folding my arms across my chest as though I'd been insulted.

"_I want you to join me, old friend."_ Oh gee, surprise, surprise. All I could do was roll my eyes. _"Your life will be spared and you will be my equal. Free to do as you please."_

"I'm listening." I said as though it would answer, again.

"_But I won't tolerate spies or betrayal. I'll need proof of your loyalty."_

"There's the catch." I sighed.

"_All I ask is that you capture Cloud and bring him to me."_

I started to laugh but stopped short. Perhaps I _should_ give him his little puppet. It would free Zack from his spell and bring Sephiroth out of this tantrum he was having. "What am I doing?" I mumbled. I shouldn't even be considering this. It wasn't right. Still, maybe it would be better for everyone…

"_That is your only option. If you comply, you will be given time to complete your mission. If you deny my offer you __**will**__ be destroyed. Immediately."_ He gave me a rather threatening look and then faded out.

Even though he was no longer there I averted my eyes. I felt really guilty that I had to even think about this. But it seemed like a really generous offer. All I had to do was give him the little crybaby. But… I… I knew it was wrong. And that fact was taken even further when I tried to think of how well that would go over for me. Sure, Sephiroth would probably be grateful. But everyone else? Zack would hate me; as well as all of the blonde's other friends. Heck, I'd hate myself. Especially when I'd quite possibly end up seeing Cloud, a very unhappy boy, everyday. He'd be such a tortured soul. Evidence of it would be in his eyes. He'd probably even have injuries from being thrown around by Sephiroth.

"No!" I shouted. "No, no, no!" I couldn't be responsible for that. I couldn't help it. I was under his spell. I already knew it. He had me! I couldn't do anything to hurt him. "I won't!" I stepped on the sphere that had created the image and pressed until it shattered. "Rot!"

After that the lights went out. Every inch of the place was covered in darkness. That was way too convenient to be a coincidence.

"Ah!" I growled when a rock collided with the back of my head. And then another came from a different direction hitting me on my left upper arm. I was being attacked! From all directions it seemed and I couldn't defend myself. I couldn't see. Soon the laughter came back. They must've been someone working for Sephiroth. Dammit! It was obvious that they could see. All I could do was try and look in the direction the rock was coming from. But I never even caught a glimpse of anything.

"Your heart plays a lovely tune when you're frightened." My attacker announced. Ignoring the remark, I turned around and searched. Still nothing. Only more laughter. Who was this guy and why did they find this so funny. There was nothing funny about it.

"Show yourself!" I demanded. This was starting to piss me off.

"Aw… why would I do that? You're cuter like this."

Okay. This little prick was really annoying me. Not only because he was being very cowardly, but he was hitting on me. I was about to tell him to shut his trap when a considerably larger rock hit the side of my head. I could feel my consciousness slipping away, but I couldn't stop it. All I could do… was… submit…

--

I awoke in a daze. Now I knew how Cloud felt. The resulting bruise that was forming was going to be anything but fun. But that wasn't the only thing that irked me. The lights were back on and I could clearly see a young man straddling my hips. He had Sephiroth's eyes, short silver hair, and grown out bangs pushed to the side. "What are you doing you little creep?!"

"Giving you another chance to change your mind." He said running his hands up my waist and across my chest. I flinched at the touch. The wonderful yet unwanted touch. My eyes were beginning to close, even when my mind was screaming at me to kick this little prick off of me, my body was desperate for physical contact of any kind. Little bastard. Quit trying to win me over sensually! The haze cleared slightly when I felt him grip my wrists.

"Would you just get off me!" I growled.

"Whhyyy?" He whined. "Just join Nii-San. I want you." I snorted and tried to throw him off. As expected, he tightened his grip. Not that it was too strong, but I just didn't feel quite up to it yet. Perhaps I could avoid a fight. Pfft! wasn't that wishful thinking? "I like you, Mr. Gorgeous." O-kay! This was on the brink of mentally scarring. I was pushed over the edge when he leaned in really close and pressed his lips against mine.

"Mmph!" I was appalled. So much so that when he broke the kiss my jaw dropped. I was a bit disturbed when I saw him try to go for another. "Why you little!" I brought my knees up as an alternative to kicking his ass. Which caused him to fall forward, release my wrists, and… unfortunately… he caught my lips with his for a second time before I threw him off. Needless to say I was outraged and flustered when I got to my feet. He was just rolling around on the ground, hysterical with laughter. "What's so funny?"

"You!" He said gasping for air. "I can't believe you let me get you. Twice!"

My face went a bit red, but I couldn't help it. "Whatever! Get up!"

"Want another?" He asked slowly standing. I just grimaced while reliving it. That was certainly humiliating. Hopefully no one found out about it. "C'mon. Come back with me. I want to keep you." He pouted.

"No. And no way!" I answered.

"_No way_ what?" He asked. Pretending to be innocent.

"I won't do that to Cloud and… Seriously. I'd totally top you." I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"So?" He replied unsheathing a double-bladed sword. If that's the way he wanted to do it, fine. I wanted to kill him for having the gall to steal a kiss from me anyway. I summoned my rapier for the second time in one day. A rare occurrence nowadays.

"You're not going to beat me, kid." I said making the first move with a vertical slice. He dodged that pretty easily. Not much of a surprise. So I tried slashing the air twice, making an 'X' pattern. And even though he jumped back to avoid it, I guess he didn't know that even though he'd dodged the initial strike there were still two waves of force to watch out for. It was a direct hit and certainly made quick work of him. "Just give up. Spare yourself the pain and humiliation." He didn't respond to that. He just got back on his feet from being flung against the far wall. "Come on. I don't want to deal with this. Just turn around and leave. You can't possibly even hope to defeat me."

"I don't want to defeat you. I want you to come back with me."

"Ugh… why?" I groaned. "I've already established where my allegiance lies."

"Well then change it." He said in a commanding tone. Of course it sounded a little bratty as well; making it impossible for me to take this seriously. "Nii-San saw how you handled Yazoo. He wants you to join him. He doesn't like how the traitors have pulled you in with their lies!"

"I'm not doing it because of that." I sighed. Although I couldn't understand why I was explaining myself to this kid. "The issue **I** am concerned with is solely Cloud. I couldn't care less about 'mother'. I already have a mother. She may be gone, because of me, and she may have been a… less than reputable character, but I was not and am not looking for a replacement." He looked as though he'd been shot, but I didn't care. This kid had gotten on my bad side. I mean, my first impression of him was pretty much being molested. It wasn't _that_ bad. But I didn't initiate it so, I could admit it, my pride was hurt. "I would never allow myself to be coerced into doing that alien monster's bidding."

"Shut up! You can't about mother that way!"

"I can talk about '_mother' _however I please. After all, I was the one who told 'Nii-San' about _mother_." Geez. He didn't know much about the situation. "You're just an ignorant puppet, aren't you? Never know anything; always do as your told. Well right now I'm telling you to get a life."

"Stop it!" He shouted while rushing at me; sword ready to strike. I blocked it and brushed him off with ease. He was so pathetic. I couldn't help but feel kind of sorry for him. He didn't really get a chance at a different life. Not that it was possible. He wouldn't even exist if it weren't for Sephiroth. I had to guess he was the remnant I hadn't yet seen. Kadaj was his name I think. And being a remnant, he was **part** of Sephiroth. And therefore, he knew nothing se for Sephiroth's madness. I wasn't sure if I could turn him from it. It would be a slim chance. But if Sephiroth had a bit of himself left… then… maybe these guys did too? I continued to think about it as I blocked several more hits from Kadaj. His range was short, in comparison to myself he was moving at the speed of a normal human, and he was angry. He didn't stand a chance. But the rage didn't seem to let him realize that fact. He just kept on going for a killing blow. And every time I'd simply block it and knock him over.

On and on. Just humoring him until, eventually, I got bored. I blocked the attack, locked his blade with mine, spun my sword until his wrist gave and he dropped his, and then kicked him as hard as I could. He hit the wall again and then crumpled to the ground. There wasn't a move out of him after that. I shook my head and sighed. Stupid little fool. He'd been trying to get _me_ angry. And it worked. But I suppose he didn't know that I don't make mistakes like that when I'm angry, not anymore. I simply turn it on the other person. And boy does it work. He was, by far, one of the easiest people to manipulate though. All you had to do was trash talk his _'mommy'_. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Who could be so childish that they'd lose it over their mother? Now I was right back to being insulted. Sephiroth sent **this** guy after me?!

"I don't have time for this." I murmured walking up and checking for a pulse. It was there. He was knocked out but alive. So, at first, I decided to leave him there. But about halfway down the corridor guilt got the best of me and I went back for him. However, I wasn't going to treat him well. So I just carried him under my arm, which was wrapped around his waist.

With the lights on, I could see that the lab was close. I had to wonder what kind of activities went on down here. If the company was so keen on cover-ups, why did they conduct experiments down in an underground cavern? As soon as I walked through the door I set Kadaj down by the wall. "Pain in the ass." I grumbled as I stepped closer to the lab table in the center of the room. All of the papers strewn about were no longer legible so there was no point in trying to read… those… wait. "Hey, look at that. Someone has actually heard of a typed document." I said picking it up. It read,

_Analysis of Procedural Failure:_

_Failed Case #1: SOLDIER 1__st__ Class_

_Summary: Desired effect did not occur. Strong tolerance to Jenova cells due to SOLDIER conditioning assessed as cause._

_Failed Case #2: Shinra Infantryman_

_Summary: Weak tolerance to Jenova cells led to toxicosis. Lack of response to outside stimuli suggests severe system damage. Recovery highly unlikely._

"Wow, this is **really** old." This thing was talking about Zack and Cloud. At least I think it was. How many other firsts did they experiment on with no success? Besides, these summaries sounded like Hojo. Cold, uncaring, and showing evidence of sickness to the head.

This place was just eerie. I almost hated to look around at it. All the cobwebs, the dust, the broken mako tanks. It really made your skin crawl. Or perhaps I was still stuck on something else. Such as, just what kind of _outside stimuli_ was Hojo referring to? It was probably just my own sick mind twisting something purely scientific into… something… else. Then again, he probably **did** do it. He was a sick old man after all. "Why am I even thinking about it?" I asked myself as I shook my head. There was no point standing around here looking at broken glass and thinking about really disgusting things. Of course thinking about Hojo at all was disgusting. Everyone wonders, I'll just say it. How could **Sephiroth** have such an ugly father? It didn't make any sense. Let us hope he just takes after his mother… who would be…? Hmm…

With the full intention of figuring that out, I strode over to the small library that held the records. And surprisingly enough, the door was in good shape. If I had gotten pissed off about something, I'd just take it out on the door. Perhaps if he had then he wouldn't have burned down the village. Holding it in until it burst was never a good idea.

Or was that even the reason? I didn't really know _why_ he'd done it. Maybe I should try to figure that out too. It was annoying being the person involved with no idea of what was going on. What was that called? "Uh…" Oh yeah. They were called kuki yomenai a.k.a. KY. I wasn't one of those exactly, but I was too close for comfort. I hated those, I didn't want to become one. I opened the door and stepped inside without hesitation. I mean, how creepy can a library be?

Giving it some thought, a library could be very creepy. But this one? Not so much. The most unnerving things were the random books on the floor. I reached for a book but as soon as I did I heard Kadaj stir outside. I'd almost forgotten about him. I couldn't just leave him like that. Reading all of this would take a while and it would be very irritating if he woke up while I was trying to do so. "What to do?" I said walking out and staring at him. I bit my lower lip when I thought of just about the only thing I could. But it seemed a bit too much. And yet… "I guess I don't really have an alternative."

I hoisted him up and dragged him across the room. He started to wake up so there was no time left to consider anything else. I opened the hatch on one of the working mako tanks and dropped him inside. He woke up just as I was shutting him in. "Hey!" He shouted.

"What?" I asked locking the door.

"Don't put me in here! Let me out!"

"Nope." I answered bluntly. He looked really upset but whatever. "It's what you get for picking a fight with me." I shrugged. "Not to mention kissing me without my permission."

"Oh, come on! I'll suffocate!"

"No you won't. You'll starve before you suffocate." I glared. "Now shut up or I'll fill it."

That did it. He snapped his mouth shut and didn't complain when I walked away. Hopefully treating him like this would make him get over his little whatever it was he had. It was just plain weird. And I didn't even know if he meant it. I would just prefer that he hate me rather than… that. So I put him out of my mind and went back to the library.

--

A good two or three days later, and after a lot of skimming, page after page. I kind of understood. At this point, I wasn't sure if I _could_ understand. I figured that it wasn't supposed to make sense at first, so I kept on reading. But none of it was reaching me. How did Sephiroth lose his mind over this? "I guess I'll never understand him." I sighed. But standing around here and trying to make sense of this drivel wasn't going to help me or anyone else. I almost couldn't believe that I'd spent days reading this stuff. Perhaps it was just because I'd already known some things about Jenova that these records didn't even address. For the most part, they didn't tell you that she was an alien monster bent on death and destruction.

I took the current book I had been reading and walked out to the mako tanks. Kadaj was slumped over inside but he was still breathing. I couldn't believe he thought he would suffocate. These things had ventilation… options.

"Yo." I said knocking on the glass. He got to his feet, for some reason in a good mood. I ignored it and pressed the open book up against the glass. "Read this." He looked confused but he did it. Perhaps I could use him to try and understand why Sephiroth believed this crap. This was all bull. They'd taken facts and flipped them so everything was all backwards. Jenova **wasn't** a Cetra. She **killed** the Cetra.

"Why show me this?" Kadaj asked, voice muffled through the thick glass. "It's all stuff I already know."

"It's all lies." I smirked. His expression turned to anger. "Jenova's no Cetra. She's a calamity." I was pushing his limits and I knew it. But I wanted him to hate me. So I'd continue to pick on him and be as sadistic as I could as long as he was around. He was being really difficult about it anyway. No matter what I did he always warmed back up to me. I didn't like it. Cloud was hard enough to push away, but this guy? Cloud I just couldn't push away because of his whole borderline hypnosis thing, plus I had to guard him, but Kadaj shouldn't feel a need to be attached to me. I didn't even know him. And these past few days I'd treated him like crap. But he still smiled whenever I approached. I couldn't let him or anyone else get too attached to me. I didn't **want** any attachments. The only people I ever let that close were Angeal and Sephiroth. And both of them betrayed me. So…

"Why should I believe **you**?"

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just telling you. You can it take as the truth or… well… you get the point. If I told you I wasn't lying you still wouldn't believe me because you've already pitted me as untrustworthy anyway. Which is just fine." And stubborn. One of the big things that was annoying about these guys. They all refused to believe what others told them if they'd already decided something was true. Judging the remnants off of Sephiroth's basis, of course. "Anyway…" I sighed. "I'm done here." I pulled the hatch open and stepped back to let him out. I guess he didn't expect that because he had a look of shock and confusion. "Just get out."

"You're letting me go?"

"What does it look like?" I rolled my eyes. He cautiously stepped out of the tank, the whole time keeping an eye on me. As if he had to do that… oh wait, he did.

"You're not going to attack me?"

"No. Not if you don't attack me." I replied shooing him away. But he didn't leave. What did he expect? He wasn't going to attack. I wasn't going to attack. And I didn't want him around anymore.

"Is there any food?"

"Nope. No food. Not that I'd feed you. Now go on, you're on your own." He stayed where he was. "Fine." I grumbled. He obviously wanted me to leave first. So I did. I walked right past him and headed out down towards the sewers. I hadn't forgotten that he'd locked the basement door. And I didn't really feel like blowing anything up today. Not that it was a good idea to take that course of action in the first place. But, hey, it was fun.

"What have you been eating?!" He called after me.

I stopped but I didn't turn around. Geez! Why were people so concerned with what I was eating? "I haven't been eating. Okay?" He was acting more and more like Cloud. For what reason? I didn't know. All I was sure of was that it was annoying. People needed to stop caring about me. It wouldn't do them any good. So I left before he could say anything else. And for all I knew, he was still standing there. "Whatever." I didn't care. Weird kid. He wasn't my problem, he was just the kid who had mentally scarred me. And that was all he was ever going to be.

So I shrugged it all off as best I could. Even though it wasn't really working. And I jumped down into the murky water. The splash sounded far down the tunnel way and started to come back. That meant that this sewer was a bit more complex than I'd previously thought. Oh well. Even harder for that weirdo to try and follow. I really hoped he didn't. If he did I'd just have to lose him, get out, and head for Neo Shinra. That's where I would make some sense of all of this.

--

**(A/N)** Holy crap Kadaj! Where did that come from?! Please don't blame me for how weird this chapter turned out. I didn't exactly plan it like this. At least Zack and Cloud are back next chapter… right? Heheh. Okay I'll get out of your hair and start writing now.


	17. Zack Hopes You've Got The Pattern

**(A/N)** Holy crap! I'm alive! But you know, holidays, school, other things. Just things that get in the way. That and I was working on something else… DA related… Something silly that takes the edge off.

--

Okay. We're finally back to business. But… Kadaj and Genesis, right? I actually didn't come up with that. I hadn't even thought of it. But my friend, PuppetofDreams, came up with it. It was a little weird at first but it eventually became an actual possibility. So now I just figure that's how it would go. Meh. Back to the main pairing.

I looked down and stared at the problem placed before me. It certainly was a dilemma and it needed to be taken care of immediately. That was made more and more eminent every second I wasted. Geez. Not only did this thing grow in eminence but severity as well. "Hmm." Not much could be done to help me figure this out. I'd never encountered an obstacle such as this before. Bizarre and annoying. This thing had to be resolved. But it had been a few minutes now and I wasn't anywhere close to a breakthrough. Man. I was probably the wrong person to take care of this…

"Zack please." Cloud groaned.

"I'm trying to but it's harder than it seems. You sure you don't know how to get it off?"

"No. I just know it **needs** to come off." He said pulling at his belt. "I really have to go!"

Yes. This problem we were having was that Cloud couldn't get his belt off and he needed to go to the bathroom. Badly. He'd been holding it for a while and didn't tell anyone until now. And, a bit unfortunate for him, he told me. As if I knew how to get the thing off! It'd probably be a good idea to figure it out for future reference. But, dare I say it, that wasn't important right now. This was a bathroom emergency. It needed to be taken care of immediately. "I really have no idea how to do this."

"What are you doing?" Vincent asked from behind. I didn't even turn around. I just looked up and stared at the wall in shock. Honestly, did he like making people's hearts do a flip?! Besides, this looked bad. Cloud was up against the wall, crossing his legs and holding his… yeah, and he was looking away with a face flushed from embarrassment. Meanwhile I was fumbling with his belt. Oh no. No, no, no. This did not look good.

"Eheheh…" I laughed nervously. "He can't get his belt off." I released his belt and stepped away from the boy. "And he _really_ needs to go." I whispered.

"Oh." Was his only reply. He stepped over to Cloud and in an instant the belt was off and the blonde was shutting himself in the bathroom.

"How'd you do that?!" I asked. **Vincent** knew how to take those things off?! How?!

"I… don't think I should tell you." He answered.

"Why?" What did he think I was going to do? I mean I could think of a few things I could do without the belt on. But I wasn't going to do them. Did they not trust me?

"We just think it's better to keep it on for now." And with that, as soon as Cloud came out of the bathroom, he wrapped the belt back around his waist. "Come tell me when this problem arises again." He said patting Cloud on the head before he left. Cloud looked distraught. Who wouldn't be? He couldn't even pee without their say so. That was a little harsh. And all to keep me at bay. They didn't say it, but they didn't have to. I knew what he meant. They were attempting to prevent me from advancing on him. It wouldn't work; it was a nice try though. But I wouldn't be stopped. I didn't need his belt off to make advancements. It was ridiculous to think that would work.

"Zack… could you… kill me? Please?" He asked. I could tell it was a joke, but it was a bit too serious. He sounded a little depressed.

"No. Why would I do that?"

"Because I **hate** this stupid outfit!" He groaned hiding his face in his hands. He then let out a long sigh before slumping down against the wall. "It makes me look so… so… fruity!"

"That's not true." I frowned. Now if it were pink that'd be another story but it wasn't. Therefore, not fruity. "Blue is a good color on you. It makes you look cute. Cute isn't fruity."

"Yes it is." He sighed. "Cute is definitely fruity." I frowned again. "It's not good." He said looking up at me. "Do _you_ like to be called cute?"

"Uhh…" Now that was difficult to answer. "Maybe…?" It couldn't be that bad. It was a compliment after all. Was there even such a thing as a bad compliment? I didn't know. No one had ever said it to me. I thought about the definition of cute. It meant attractive in a dainty way, pleasing, precious. "Hmm…" Maybe that wasn't a very good thing.

"You're not making a very convincing argument." He grumbled getting to his feet.

"Alright." I shrugged. "Fine. A sensitive subject. Let's just do something else for now." Geez. He really didn't like that outfit. But I loved it on him. The only nuisance was the belt. Why would anyone create such a thing? How did you even do that? It's got to be so simplistic that no one thinks of it. "What do you want to do?" Please say get freaky and crazy.

"Find something else to wear."

"Besides that." Okay. That didn't help at all. The point was to get off of that topic. Perhaps I should ask him how things were when he was off on his own. He hadn't told anyone about it yet. "Was someone looking after you out there?" I asked pointing out the window. We hadn't yet taken off but we were closer to where I'd found Cloud than before.

"What?" He replied. "Umm…" Couldn't he remember? "Yes."

"Yes?" Why did that take him so long? "Who was it?"

"I dunno. Does it matter?" He asked. I quickly thought about it and decided that yes it does. So I nodded. "But I don't know. He lied to me about who he was the whole time." Well that was strange. Why would someone bother to do that? "Do we really have to travel like this? I already feel sick just thinking about it." He leaned against the wall and took on a look of nausea.

"Hey! Don't get sick now! We aren't even moving." He didn't look as though he could stop it though. He would probably throw up when the ship moved. "Uh… uh… think about something else." What he should think about? Not a clue. He didn't seem to be doing it anyway. In fact, just at the worst possible moment, the ship started. The whole ship jerked and I was more or less unaffected. Cloud made something of a squeak and fell forward onto his knees. And a part of me knew that he was okay but that didn't stop me from freaking out. "Are you okay?!" I gasped as I knelt down next him.

He didn't look up. In fact he closed his eyes for a minute before staggering to his feet. "I'm gonna go lie down." He answered cupping a hand to his mouth. And he didn't let me say much else afterwards; he just walked off, leaning against the wall as he went.

"Okay." I scratched the back of my head and decided to follow. Once I caught up to him he glanced over at me, but he didn't protest. So I kept with it; making sure he stayed steady. Only until I'd realized that I should probably go to the bridge to check up on things. "I'll be right there. I just need a minute." He nodded and turned down a different hallway. I kept on my path and into the bridge.

"How goes it?" I announced as I walked in. No one really responded; aside from Tifa giggling to herself.

"What is it Zack?" Vincent asked. Truthfully I wanted to know why they all didn't trust me enough to keep that belt off, but I'd much rather not address it. It'd be more fun to figure out how to get it off myself. The whole secrecy thing. It'd be funny. But only when they found out.

"When do you think we'll reach Wutai?" It wasn't really important but it was a standard question. There was no rush, Cloud was here. And as long as he was on the airship Sephiroth couldn't get to him.

"We'll get there when we get there." Cid sighed. That was a bit relaxed for Cid. Perhaps he was just as happy as everyone else to have Cloud back here. I dunno. It made sense. "Did he tell you anything?"

"Like who sent the e-mail?" Tifa added.

"Uhh… not really. He just told me some guy was with him." He wasn't lying. He was irritated that the person wouldn't tell him who he was, I could feel it, but he wasn't lying.

"Perhaps it was someone we might've known?" Vincent mused.

"Maybe… but he wouldn't even tell me what the guy looked like." He'd actually thought about it for quite a bit now that I'd remembered it. As though he'd been debating whether or not he should. "I'll write it off as unimportant for now." They all just kept to their own business. It made me feel like an outsider or something. But I knew better. They were just having an odd day. "Okay, any other news I need to know?" There was no answer. "No?" Alright. I left and felt kind of relieved. I'd much rather spend my time with Cloud right now anyway. I mean, I was devastated when they'd found us earlier. It was annoying how they were always watching me lately. It made me wonder why _they_, of all people, were acting the way I'd expected his mother to. Especially Vincent. He'd practically pried us apart and now this whole thing…? I knew Cloud was his best friend but wasn't that all the more reason to back off? Just let him be? I don't know. It didn't matter.

--

Once I'd reached the room where I could assume Cloud was, I'd gotten over the whole thing. It wasn't that big a deal. I suppose he needed someone to protect his integrity. Which made me think… wasn't that **my** job? "It still is." I told myself as I opened the door. I wasn't going to do what they assumed I was going to do. No manipulation, no tricks, nothing to that extreme. He couldn't handle it. A fact that was proven when I saw him curled up in a rather feeble position on the bed. Did he have to make himself look completely vulnerable all the time? Of course it only took a moment of thought for me to decide, yes. Because he was. And that's why protecting him was still my job. "You doin' okay?" I asked. He glanced over and nodded.

"I feel better than I did." He answered. "Not a good idea to move though…"

I took a step forward and as soon as I did, there was a complaint. Not from Cloud, but from a green bird that had poked its head up at the noise. "Kweh!" He squawked. I'd almost forgotten about Orion. The chocobo chick that he'd insisted on bringing, saying that he needed to return it to these men he'd met. But the chances of running into them were very slim if anything at all. He was a cute bird but… he didn't really appreciate me being near his master either. Geez! Nothing trusted me!

"Calm down, Orion." Cloud murmured. He sounded as though he were falling asleep. How could he sleep so much?

"Cloud…" I said warningly but jokingly. He just made fake snoring noises. "Hey!" That was an unusual sense of humor for him. I wasn't going to stand for that. I walked straight up to the bed and pulled him off it; the whole while Orion was losing it. Though I couldn't understand why, I'd kept him from landing on the floor too hard. I guess it could've been when I sat on the side of the bed he'd been on to prevent him from getting back on. The bird was hopping around madly and flapping; throwing feathers everywhere. Good thing he wasn't a pecking sort.

"Zaaack." He groaned, still on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh. He was being so pathetic.

"C'mon Cloud, just get up. Don't think about it." I answered trying to help him get past this. Of course he wasn't going to do it this time around but it would be nice for him to try.

"I can't." Came the expected reply. Okay… Now he was being pathetically low in self esteem.

"Attempt. **Please** attempt." I prodded. He just gave me a look that clearly said he wasn't up to it. "Just try to get up. That's all I'm asking." I wanted to help him but everyone knew that he had to **want** to help _himself_ first. His annoyed groan didn't make it sound like a positive reaction. "Fine, do you want me to help you?" He shook his head.

"I'll stay on the floor." He sighed. His tone seemed to be suggesting that he thought he belonged there. That idea being, of course, ludicrous. How could I get him to stop being so… so… gloomy? From what I'd seen of him that wasn't an easy task. Even though he shouldn't be **as** bad. He was only being insistent on this one thing anyway. I just needed to distract him somehow. But there wasn't really an easy way to do that. Not when he was like this.

"Wark! Wark! Wark!" Orion screeched. The sound really taking me by surprise but only because he'd done so right in my ear.

"How do I make him stop?" I asked covering my ringing ears.

"Uhh… Orion." The blonde sighed propping himself up on his arms. "Calm down."

"Wark!" The bird didn't really respond. I doubted he could hear him.

"Okay. C'mon Cloud." I said lifting him up onto his knees. He looked kind of reluctant. But I suppose it didn't matter so long as he didn't puke. He only _looked_ reluctant. He wasn't fighting or anything. Hopefully he was just annoyed. I didn't want him to feel like I was forcing him. Although Orion thought I was. The bird was coming very close to attacking me now. He was jumping at me and looking as though he might actually peck me in the head. I had to do my best to ignore the bird and pull the blonde up onto the bed. "You need to show Orion that I'm not evil." I exhaled once I'd gotten up on the bed so that he was laying to my right. "And you do that through example."

"I can't do it." He groaned whilst clutching his stomach. I rolled my eyes. What a dramatic little boy he was being. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"You don't need to do anything." I answered while adjusting my position so that we were spooning. "You just need to lay here and relax." That ought to show Orion that I didn't want to bring harm to Cloud or anyone else.

"But I-"

I shushed him before he could finish. I knew he wasn't feeling well and that would keep him from completely relaxing for quite a while. But he didn't have to remind me. There was no need for it. "Just relax." I whispered in his ear. Hopefully Orion would take Cloud's cues and stop his noise soon. I wasn't sure how much more my ears could take. The pitch of the sound was maddening. But not as maddening as the scent of my own blood. No. This I could get past. As long as Cloud was here I only needed to focus on him.

"Orion, stop it." Cloud said a little sternly but hazily. The green bird looked confused, but quieted slightly. Not completely. But it was a start. The chirps and chatters got lower and quieter until he found that he wasn't going to get a response from Cloud. Eventually he stopped and, thank the planet, hopped off the bed and settled in the far right corner of the room.

Now **I** could relax.

I pulled the blonde closer to my body and caressed the hand that he had over his stomach. My mind was beginning to waver. My senses were being overwhelmed. This couldn't be good. I felt like my self control was slipping away. Oh no. I wasn't even sure what I was doing anymore. The only thing I could be certain of was that Cloud was really soft. And when I realized that was the only thought running through my mind I checked to make sure the belt was still in tact. It was. Good. That meant that his head was the only thing that was still uncovered. Of course he didn't _need_ to be uncovered for me to do something that may have scared him. But that train of thought didn't last. I was lost in whatever action it was I was doing again. Not good. But I couldn't help it. What was I doing? Did it matter?

I was snapped back to reality when Cloud made a weak whimpering sound.

I let him go when I glanced over to see Orion poking his head up again. "I completely forgot." I gasped thinking about the possibility of agitating that nasty bite he had. That could be fixed. I'd bought that materia for this. I got up and searched around in my pockets for it. Where did I put it? "I'll be right back." I said realizing I'd put it in another room along with some other healing items. I was pretty sure I had a potion. That would take care of the sickness for a little while. Although it wasn't a permanent fix. It would provide for some relief I was sure.

Orion looked as though he was glaring at me the whole while as I was walking to the door. At some point I'd have to make peace with him, but not now. Right now the important thing was getting back to this room as quickly as possible. I felt as though he'd disappear again if I'd left him alone for too long. There were too many circumstances where that had happened for me to be comfortable with this.

And, annoyingly, as soon as I walked out the door I found that Vincent was standing out in the hall. Probably listening in. "What?" I asked. "Why are you out here?" Even though I kind of already knew.

"Just overseeing." He answered with a sigh. "What were **you** doing?" His tone was a little… not accusing but sarcastic. That was weird. I would have to obsess about that later but now it just went over my head. There were more important things at hand. But when I tried to walk away I couldn't help but notice Vincent was doing that odd staring thing he always did. "I'm not too worried about it, but the others want to know what you were doing in there."

"Nothing." I shrugged. Obviously he didn't believe that. "Just trust me. I didn't…" Wait. I couldn't remember what I'd done. Of course I couldn't have done anything too bad. That outfit prevented me from doing so. "I'm not a pervert…" Well. That wasn't exactly true. I wasn't as bad as some but I had been thinking some pretty vulgar things. "Okay… uh… I'm not a… a… look we didn't do anything." Why was I explaining myself to _him_? "I cuddled him. That's all." I had to make that perfectly clear. Even though it wasn't true. I did something that may have made him uncomfortable. But I couldn't tell Vincent about it. Especially when I couldn't even remember what it was. Geez! Why were these people behaving like hawks and making me nervous?! My thoughts went everywhere when they did that.

"You don't sound too confident in that answer." He sighed. "But I'll take it."

"Are you bipolar?" Oops! I slapped a hand to my forehead. That wasn't supposed to come out of my mouth! It was too late now. Thankfully Vincent simply shook his head in response. "Well then whose idea was it to keep the belt on?"

"Tifa's."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I asked rolling my eyes.

"It should." He answered. "Tifa isn't usually the type to interfere in things like this."

"What?!" Then why was she getting involved with this? This wasn't any of her business. This was my business. Well… it wasn't that simple. But I could think it was. Either way, the point remained that she couldn't do this. It was cheating. And Cloud didn't like it. "Oh no!" I gasped. I'd almost forgotten. Cloud and the injuries and the sickness… that needed to be taken care of. "Uh… Vincent. Could you guard the door?" I asked as I started walking off once again.

"Hmm." He nodded. Of course he could. That's why he was there in the first place.

"Geez." I murmured. I was just distracted by everything lately. My focus was so split that my already shabby attention span was suffering. It couldn't possibly take much more before I let something else irresponsible happen. I wasn't doing so well with this hero business. I'd already covered how I was sucking at this I knew. But… did I really have to… geez! I am such a pervert!

I did my best to brush it off but it was hard to just drop thoughts like that. But I made it down the hall and into the room; that I'd already designated for myself and saw it as a fair distance away from Cloud's room. That ought to make Tifa calm down a little. Ought to. But it might not. It didn't really make much of a difference to me. I simply walked across the room to recover the materia, etc. from the drawer of the bed-side table and left. I mean, Cloud **needed** a quick fix. It was no fun to be all hunched over while on an airship. The potion wouldn't get rid of the sickness completely, but it would dumb it down enough so that he was more comfortable. Perhaps then he would be able to do more than just lie around groaning. Although I suppose he _could_ do that. I just wanted to be able to give him something to groan about. That would just make my day. But it wasn't so.

"_Thinking dirty thoughts?"_

"Gai-a!" My heart. "Angeal, what are you doing?" I sighed. He didn't usually make a habit of popping into my head. Normally I had to call out to him. But…

"_Usually you've called by now."_

"**You** told me _not_ to."

"_Maybe I missed you."_

That was a laugh. "Shut up. You did not. Now what do you want?" It had to be something. He wouldn't have bothered me otherwise. It would surprise me if he really were just trying to give me a heart attack. Man, everyone was doing that today…

"_I can't divulge too much information, you know that. I just feel I should tell you there's a bit of a… situation. Otherwise, not much to report. You?"_

"Situation?" What situation could there be? They already knew Sephiroth had escaped. That was the worst possible scenario for **any** possible situation. I really wanted to ask but… there was the whole inability to _'divulge'_ such information issue. It would be a waste of breath to ask. "No problems here. Aside from a stomach ache."

"_You're sick?"_

"No, not me. Cloud." Geez. I thought he knew about his motion sickness.

"_Oh that's right."_

There was a bit of an awkward silence. There wasn't much left for me to say and apparently he didn't have anything to say. It was really… uh… it was strange that we didn't have much to say.

"_Have you looked outside lately?"_

"What? Why?"

"_Just an observation…" _ His voice had an undertone that suggested something. But I couldn't understand what. _"The weather is quite nice."_

"Wha-?"

"_It seems the __**clouds**__ have __**scattered**__."_

"What are you talking about?" Was **he** sick? He wasn't making any sense.

"_Think on it."_ He replied before his presence vanished.

Think on it? What was there to think about? Agh! I didn't have time for this. **Cloud** was making sense right now. And that was the most important thing. He needed me. He may not have known it but he did. Though he'd never admit it. I knew it and that's all I needed to know. I didn't need his consent to protect him. That was my decision. At least I had some control over something. But not much. Ah well. It was better to be whipped than starved, right?

--

It only took a few minutes for the potion to take effect and, of course, casting the cure spell only took a couple of seconds. Now you would expect he would be a bit more chipper, but no. He was still moping about something. But he wouldn't tell me what. I had to figure it was something that happened while we were separated. For whatever reason he simply refused to tell me anything about any occurrences that happened. I needed to get him to either say something or stop focusing on it. I mean, what could it possibly be? What was it that was tormenting him so much that he would bring down everyone else's mood? Before this I was brought down by the whole situation with the belt, but now this and Angeal's little cryptic whatever? It was too much.

"Cloud. C'mon, stop being such a downer."

"I'm not trying to be. I just can't stop thinking about it."

"About what?" If he didn't tell me something I didn't know what I would do. He couldn't exactly tell me it was nothing. He was implying something. This **couldn't** be nothing.

"Uhh…" Obviously he knew that too. Now he was probably going to lie… or at least try to. "Um…"

Oh for the love of Shiva! If you were going to lie you had to do it quickly! Otherwise it would be too obvious that you'd just come up with whatever story you just told them. Didn't he know anything?! Was I going to have to teach him how to lie too? Man, what a pain. "I'm waiting, Cloud." I sighed to let him know just that. I would be able to tell if he still lied. And if he did then I suppose I'd have to call him on it.

"I… I'm worried about the man who was with me." Oh… okay. That wasn't a lie. "How am I supposed to know what happened to him? He didn't exactly leave me with any reassurance."

And apparently he left a couple seconds before I showed up. So I had no idea. "Sorry." I couldn't help with him being all tight lipped like this. At times such as this, I really wished I could read minds. I doubted it would help but it felt as if it would. Perhaps it wouldn't help with Cloud. I got the feeling he'd be mad if I read his mind anyhow. But it would help with other things. Like Sephiroth. Getting into his head and finding out his plans, where he was stationed at the time and any other useful information would be great. But I couldn't. Which as the side currently on the defensive put me at a great disadvantage. Perhaps we should go and capture one of the remnants for information? "What happened to Yazoo?" I wondered aloud.

"I dunno. Probably dead." Cloud shrugged. Obviously he thought I'd been paying attention to whatever he was saying. Sadly, even though I'd wanted to, I hadn't.

"Hopefully Yazoo isn't dead. I know he's on the opposing side but he doesn't deserve to die."

"Doesn't he?" Vincent asked stepping into the room. Great now he was _inside_? Having a babysitter was certainly annoying.

"No. He doesn't." I answered. Take it from a person who has died or been dead for a while. It's peaceful at first and then it's boring. And I didn't want to do it again.

"Wouldn't that be good for us?" I heard the blonde.

"No." Well… I couldn't say that. "Yes. But that doesn't change anything. Dying isn't…"

"You can't possibly expect to make it through this with no deaths, Zack." Vincent sighed. "If you try, someone who you're trying to protect might die." His eyes shifted so that he was staring at Cloud; who in turn shuddered and looked away.

"I'm aware of that." I said with a bit more anger than I'd wished to convey.

"You needed to be reminded of it." His tone, of course, didn't change.

"Maybe. But did you have to say it in front of him?" My eyes went to Cloud as well. He didn't seem to be paying attention anymore. That wasn't good. I hope he knew that this wouldn't go away just because he was blotting it out… Wow that sounded familiar.

"He needs to be aware of it as well. I can't treat the situation as though it doesn't concern him. He's old enough to know that his life is on the line."

He was assuming a lot.

But I guess he wasn't too used to Cloud being this way. He couldn't handle as much as Vincent thought he could. Or maybe I was underestimating him? None of us could be sure. We hadn't seen the way Cloud handled things himself. This mystery man had. And since he'd flaked on us we couldn't know. "I wonder if that guy would've been of help to us." I said to go off topic.

"Hmm?" Vincent didn't follow. How could he? He wasn't a mind reader either.

"Yep." Cloud answered.

"Was he powerful or something?" The blonde nodded. "How powerful?" The answer was a shrug. That didn't help. Man! He was actually giving me something to work with for a second. "Can't you tell me?"

"No."

"Please?" I begged.

"No."

"Oh come on!" I whined being stupid to lighten the mood.

"No."

"Vincent, make him talk." Not being serious of course.

"I could but I doubt you would like the methods." **He** sounded serious.

"Wark!"

Everyone stopped to look in the direction the noise had come from. Apparently Orion had noticed the seriousness in his voice as well.

"I was joking." I told the bird.

"I was too." Vincent replied as though I had told it to him.

"You didn't sound like you were." I said hugging Cloud defensively. "I don't want you to torture him until he gives us a name."

"Torture?" The gunman asked. "Who said anything about torture?"

"Isn't that what you meant?" I could've sworn that was what he meant by 'methods'.

"No. I was talking about a truth serum." Truth serum? Say what? "But I doubt he'd like that."

"Truth serum exists?!" I blurted out. And from Cloud's reaction it was a little too close to his ear.

"I believe they have something of the sort in Wutai. Why? Are you going to try it?"

"Uhh…" What could I say? I wanted to but Cloud would hate me for it.

"Any name I gave you would be worthless anyway!" Cloud shouted all of the sudden. But he didn't sound angry. He sounded as though he were trying to convince us not to force it out of him. "He kept on giving me a fake name. I knew it was bull, but he insisted it wasn't. So I don't know! I already told you that. I don't know!"

That was funny and abrupt but also very bad. Cloud just showed me that he would crack under the slightest threat. With this bit of information I could probably tickle the rest out of him. I had to resist the urge to shake my head. He was absolutely adorable this way but, thanks to Sephiroth, he couldn't afford to be this green. It wasn't like Sephiroth needed information from him but this way he would be broken within the first five minutes if **anyone** captured him. But, again, I _could_ be underestimating him. Perhaps I should just shut up about this. I was going in circles.

The chain would probably be broken if Vincent would just leave. Then I could make a move!

Dammit, Vincent! Go away! I want to make out.

"What was the name he was using? What did he look like? Was there anything odd about him?" Vincent asked. "Those are all things we'd like to know."

"Why are you trying to protect this guy you hardly know?" I wondered aloud. Although I wasn't too worried about it. This guy didn't seem to have hurt Cloud in any way. And now I just didn't feel right about asking him all these questions. He looked rather ganged up on. And it was okay at first because pouty Cloud was just as cute as any other emotion. But then you come to realize he's pouting because he's upset and upsetting him made anyone feel guilty after a while. He could just get to you. No matter how strong you thought your will was he could get through. It was odd but I welcomed it.

It was always funny to see it work on other people too. The typical response to it was always the person getting very angry, but not at Cloud. They usually got angry at themselves.

"Zack?" Vincent said with something of a sigh.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to stand watch in the hall." Oh… really?! "Look after him."

Well** duh**!He just came back! No! I didn't want to ever let him go again!

"Hmm…" Vincent said pausing at the door. "What about the other two men? The chocobo farmers?"

"What about 'em?" I shrugged.

"Are we gonna go find them?" Cloud asked getting a little bright eyed.

"Where were they going?" The gunman asked.

Although I couldn't really see how that would be important. If we did we'd have to turn around. They were back in the direction we'd just come from. It was out of our way. And I suppose that wasn't a bad thing. The longer time spent on the airship the less chance Sephiroth gets to make a move. But it was Cid. I doubted he'd want to turn about just to drop off a chocobo chick. Besides, at this point, Cloud would miss him. He didn't know it right now but once the little bird was gone he'd definitely see it. I couldn't really tell how long the two of them had been together, but they'd certainly grown attached very fast. I mean, Orion was already willing to put his own life at risk to save Cloud. That was something that one would think would come slowly, if at all.

"I think they said… Gongaga…" My ears picked up on that.

"We can't go there." I said quickly. Cloud looked a little surprised by my answer. His expression even seemed to ask 'why'? But I couldn't exactly tell him why. But what I _could_ say was, "Gongaga is my hometown. _They_ might be there." The Turks were when we were on the run after all. And Cissnei might still be there. And my parents! What could I do? What could I say to them? They thought I had died so many years ago. So, "That and I… can't face my parents right now either." I suppose I could afford to tell him that as well. Just no details really.

"That reasoning is sound." Vincent said, once again, reaching for the door.

"It is?" Cloud asked looking as though he'd just been tossed out of the loop. But it wasn't as though I could tell him my parents thought I was dead. That'd be a really awkward conversation.

"Do you _like_ to be out into dangerous situations?" I said in a teasing tone.

"No."

"Then the reasoning is sound." I concluded. "Don't worry about it. You'll probably see them again." It was baffling that they hadn't recognized him. Especially when Reno showed up. But perhaps they were a couple of guys who chose not to get all wrapped up in that. And basically ignoring reality. There were always people like that. They were probably aware of Sephiroth and what he was doing but were oblivious to Cloud or anyone else who had made an effort to stop him. Who knows? There were always more people like that than I'd thought. It wasn't a bad thing, they were just blissfully ignorant. I wish I could be. I really wish Cloud could be. Whoops… Speaking of Cloud.

"… I just feel like they'd want him back."

Crap! Not again! I have to stop thinking! What did he say?! Aw man. All I could do was nod.

"So… uh… about… about earlier…?" The blonde asked. Hmm? Earlier? Did he mean the kiss or the thing I did that I don't remember? "I uh… you uh… um…" After that he just stopped talking. That did me no good. I nudged him slightly to try to tell him to continue. He actually cringed from it. Did I hit him too hard? Crap. How could I? I… "Sorry, I'm nervous." He sighed. Oh, that made sense… I guess. "Earlier. When I… you know." I was barely following, but I was pretty sure I could get it. "Did you _mean_ to uh… kiss me back or… or were you just caught up in the moment?"

I couldn't be sure but I think my eyes noticeably widened at that. I understood perfectly. He wanted to know if I liked him back. Like he wanted the sure thing. A verbalized answer. Obviously, "I wasn't caught up in the moment." His eye brows rose as he glanced over at me. "I… to be honest I like you… **a lot**. But uh…" Damn. Now **I** was tripping all over my words.

"So… Are we… together?" Cloud said swallowing hard. That was an up front question.

"Only if _you_ want to be." I answered making eye contact. I couldn't help but laugh nervously. This was turning out to be a lot more awkward than I'd thought it would be.

"When you say 'like', do you really mean…?"

"Love?" Well duh. But I wouldn't say that. Not without being set up first.

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Yes. Yes I do. Do you?" Hopefully he did. Or was _he_ caught up in the moment?

He bit his lip and nodded. "I… think so. But I don't really know. I'm not familiar with all this."

Well. That was half of a relief. Now Sephiroth just needed to get out the way. As if that would ever happen. Sometimes I just wished he would stay dead. But he, like Yazoo, didn't deserve to die. He just needed help I suppose. What am I saying?! Yazoo and the others had a chance, but Sephiroth was the stem of it all really. Even though I didn't really want to, at the moment, he had to be killed. But that was a nasty topic. I'd better just get back to the adorable blonde sitting next to me. My silence was making him nervous. I could hear his heartbeat faintly. But I knew it was fluttering in a fit.

"So? Where do we go from here?" Cloud asked. That was a good question. Where was he comfortable going? That was about as far as I would brave it.

"We stay here for as long as you want I suppose." I answered, starting to close the gap between us. You'd figure things would be clearing up for him, but he still looked so confused. I had to do something. Even though Orion was watching us. I couldn't expect him to know what to do. It wasn't his responsibility to initiate things after all. It was mine. But it felt strange that our relationship was being established now. Sure it had been there a while but still… I'd kissed him once. And it wasn't even on the lips. Perhaps I should just ignore these minor details? I mean he was actually admitting his feelings, or at least starting to. Now I could make him blush all I wanted… **on purpose**! Among other things.

"This is… confusing." Cloud groaned. That concerned me. It shouldn't be.

"What's wrong?" Why was this confusing? I couldn't understand. We shared each other's feelings. We told each other. Shouldn't that be enough? I was pretty sure we had just established something here. But now… was he reviewing the situation? Even then that didn't make sense. It wasn't like anyone on the ship was giving him any trouble about it. They'd found us. No one said anything. Not even Cid. But then again, it wasn't like we'd been caught having sex. Still, they hadn't said anything about it. There was a slight possibility that Vincent had a problem with it. And Tifa was acting as though she didn't want us to be together. But she wasn't being upfront about it. So… what was the problem here?

"I guess I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this." He answered, breaking eye contact. "I'd always thought these things happened differently."

"Huh?" How did he think this was going to happen? It didn't exactly go the way I thought it would either, but it didn't seem unreal to me. "Is it because I'm a guy?" I blurted out without thinking.

That was a stupid question, but it wasn't like I could take it back or anything. He already looked as though he were thinking about it. The long pause certainly wasn't helping. "N-No. I've gotten past that." Oh, really? How long did that take I wonder. "It just feels a little… fast." Was he kidding? It took him forever to give me a clue. "Aren't these kinds of things normally slower?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" I said putting my hands up defensively. "Hold on. No one said this thing was fully developed. These things **do** take time." It wasn't like I could just do whatever at square one. Not with Cloud. He was too special. "The ground work has just barely been set." So to speak.

"You make it sound like you've got everything scheduled." He replied. There was a bit of a laugh in his tone. Whether or not it was nervous laugh, I couldn't tell. "Do you know something I don't?"

More than you can imagine. "No. What makes you say that?"

The blonde only sighed. "Okay…"

Oh man. He totally knew I was lying. Why couldn't Cloud make up his mind? One minute he was oblivious, the next he was sharper than me! I suppose he'd still be looking out for liars after hanging out with that man who did nothing _but_ lie to him. It made me feel really guilty about it. But there wasn't anything I could do. It'd be too much for him to handle. I mean I'd have to tell him **everything**. Anyone would be able to tell that it'd be overwhelming. Perhaps he would put some of it together on his own? That wasn't very likely. But oh well.

"You're holding out too." I said to get his attention. "You said you would explain things, but now you're refusing to." He wasn't exactly lying to me. But he wasn't doing what he said he'd do either.

"But -"

"Don't go making excuses." I put a finger to his lips to shush him. "I'm not judging you about it. I'm simply making a point." What was with all those bullets? It looked like there had been a battle, but Cloud wasn't hurt. So who had done all of that? It was Yazoo, of course. But there was more to it.

"I'm not allowed to change my mind?" He asked. Surprisingly, his tone wasn't angry. A little annoyed, but mostly fearful. Perhaps I was intimidating him without meaning to? That was a sign to either back off or make the situation a little bit lighter.

"You can change your mind." I answered wrapping my arms around him. "Just be warned, if you **do** decide _not_ to tell me, I will tickle you until you **un-**decide." He swallowed down whatever nervous noise he had begun to make and laughed a little nervous laugh. "You don't have to say everything. Just…"

"You shouldn't be bullying me like this."

I suppose I _was_ bullying him a little but, "I'm not meaning to." I simply wanted to know what, exactly, was I supposed to think? The whole area where I'd found him was covered in bullets… or halves of bullets. Along with several other strange marks on the ground; not to mention the feathers. Those damn black feathers I'd been seeing in the most unusual places. Where could they be coming from? The only thing I could relate the feathers to was Sephiroth. But they weren't **his** feathers. So what were they? Cloud would know, wouldn't he? I guess I could try. "Don't change the subject."

"But it wasn't a big deal."

Wasn't a big deal? If the ground being covered in bullets and blood wasn't a big deal, I didn't want to know what he considered a big deal. So I let my finger tips lightly dance across his sensitive stomach. It took him by surprise despite my warning. He couldn't just brush this off. Besides, it'd been a while since I'd heard him laugh. It was such a lovely sound. Definitely a refresher from all the usual meek noises that came out of his mouth. I certainly enjoyed it; long after the sound was gone. Eventually I noticed that he'd stopped laughing. My eyes looked down hoping to lock with his but they were shut tight. He was fighting it? A part of me took this as a challenge, but I knew that would probably be a bad idea. I stopped my fingers abruptly but I didn't let him go.

"You okay?" I asked. "I didn't tickle you too hard, did I?"

"No…" I felt his body tense a little before he started trying to wriggle free. "I just don't wanna tell you."

"Oh really?" The explanation would probably give away the identity of this mystery man. That was just all the more reason to get it out of him. Should I guess? He'd probably give something away if I guessed right. But… That seemed a little… cheap. "Don't you want to know yourself?" I asked talking about the man not the situation.

"Nope." Came the nonchalant reply. "I know what you're trying to do." Oh did he now? I guess he _was_ pretty perceptive… or was he bluffing? I shrugged. "D-don't play innocent!" I kept a blank face. Not that he could really see me. He must've been feeling it. This was funny. I liked getting him all worked up. "Just let go of me." He tried to slip out of my arms but I stopped him. "I'm not going to do it! I won't tell!" I tightened my fingers on his waist as a sort of warning, but he didn't go for it. "Do whatever you want. I won't become a fink!"

Do whatever… I wanted…? That was a very tempting invitation! Even though I knew that wasn't what he meant. He'd probably freak out if I even just switched our current position and got on top of him. Considering what happened last time. I didn't want to torture him the way the other cadets did. Or at least that specific group. I never really heard about friends he had in the barracks but I doubted that they **all** partook in the torture he talked about. After all, they weren't all bad. I knew there were a few that would've stopped it if they'd seen it. Not like it mattered now anyway.

"You don't need to be a fink. You just need to tell me what happened." I said trying to forget the mystery man. "There were bullets everywhere so it was Yazoo."

He mumbled something. But it was just a noise. An uncomfortable, nervous noise

"Don't be like that. I'm not going to hurt you." I said reassuringly. I didn't loosen my grip or anything like he'd probably wanted me to. "So it **was** Yazoo?"

He paused for a moment before he nodded. "Is there anyone else after me who wields a gun?"

That, to the extent of my knowledge, would be a no. Yazoo was the only gun wielder that any of us were aware of in the enemy's ranks.

"Did he hurt you?" Even though he'd already said he didn't.

"Zack, you're making me feel like I'm filing a police report or something." He sighed. This time I let him stand up when he tried to move. "Look, Yazoo was just trying to take me somewhere. He didn't say where. At first he threatened me, but they were kinda empty threats. Then he got mad and I thought he might kill me but he didn't get the chance."

'Kinda empty threats'? Whatever that meant. "Why did he get angry?"

Cloud became hesitant again and started pacing. Probably weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Normally the waiting would be murder for me but this time I had a distraction. It wasn't something I would tell him because I knew he didn't appreciate it but… I couldn't help but watch the way the ribbons flowed behind him as he walked. I really liked the outfit besides the whole not being able to take it off deal. It made him look so adorable. But at the same time the clothes were elegant and made him look beautifully serene. Despite his current demeanor.

He stopped in front of me as though he'd noticed what I was staring at. Nevertheless, he took something out of his pocket. Whatever it was that he had concealed earlier. The thing that had smelled heavily of blood. "I stabbed him with this." He said handing it to me.

Strange. It had obviously stabbed someone and it looked like a knife, but it wasn't a knife. Only the tip of it was sharp the rest of it was dull. Not exactly flat but sort of rounded. I couldn't tell what it was. The only sure thing was the dried blood that Cloud had failed to wipe off. "You actually got Yazoo mad?"

"It wasn't hard." He shrugged. "All I did was give him difficulty about everything."

Hmm… I didn't take Yazoo as the one with a short fuse. Perhaps something else had already agitated him. More than likely Sephiroth was getting tired of all the failures being reported. And that made me wonder how long it would take before he would simply try something himself. But that thought brought me back to how I had yet to see Kadaj. And then I had to wonder, where was Kadaj.

But I had to cut the thought short because that topic always led me off on a long tangent and I was currently talking to Cloud.

"So he tried to shoot you?" The blonde nodded. More than likely no where vital. Sephiroth wanted him alive after all. Not that it made a difference. I would be forever angry at Yazoo for even threatening to shoot Cloud. I didn't think it was possible. I mean, you would try and then his eyes would get all big from shock, then he'd get sad or mopey… and after Cloud gets mopey… well… the rest is self explanatory. "Am I safe to assume that it was Yazoo's blood all over the ground?"

"Uhh…" No? But he said the blood wasn't his. "Some of it is from someone else."

Oh. So this guy, I'm assuming, protected him. That would explain why he was worried about him earlier. There was so much blood. It was impossible to tell how much came from who but if Cloud was concerned for this guy… a fair amount of that stuff must've belonged to him. So there was definitely a need to worry on his part. And perhaps ours too. This man had protected a close friend of ours and was injured from it. What if he needed help? At the same time there might not be need to worry. Cloud said he was powerful. And he took on Yazoo. That made him sound fearless. Who was this guy? Now I wanted to know. And I believe Cloud gave me more than he'd meant to…

"Okay." I said swinging my feet over the side of the bed. Cloud, like usual, was confused. "That's all you needed to say. I don't need to know any more." Just in time too because this conversation was getting depressing. That was part of the reason why I'd wanted to get it out of the way so fast. "So, anything else you'd like to talk about?" I knew what _I_ wanted to **do**. But I wasn't going to suggest it. Didn't want to look like a creep after all. Even though I might be a creep. I couldn't be sure anymore. I'd certainly been having creep thoughts lately.

"My answer is still trying to get this stupid thing off." He answered. Obviously talking about his outfit. I didn't want to see it go. Not completely. He just needed a normal belt. Not this tricky lock down doesn't come off thing.

"I can't help you with that." I answered shaking my head. "Not without a lot of fumbling around with it. And belts are in an awkward place." He didn't look comfortable with that. I thought so. "It's just your luck, huh?" His luck was looking really terrible right now. But at least the bite was gone. The bandages were still there but the bite should be more or less gone.

He started to pace again. My eyes trailed the ribbons as they danced. As soon as one came close I took the chance and grabbed it. "Hey!" He gasped before I started pulling him back towards me. But not too hard. I didn't want to choke him. Still, he didn't really have much choice on whether or not he would come over anymore. "What are you doing, Zack?" Good question. I had no idea really.

"I just want you closer to me." I answered smiling. Hopefully not in a creepy way. Although, at this point, there was no way to stop me from appearing creepy. Not in my mind any way. Perhaps it had something to do with the age difference. Before when we started seeing each other I was only about two years older. Now? I was quite a bit older than him. But he couldn't tell the difference. He probably thought I was sixteen. Even though I didn't _look_ sixteen. But he had noticed the change of hair style. A lack of bangs can make a person look a great deal older than they actually are.

Wait a second. The weather is nice. I hadn't really taken into account what the date was. It might prove relevant but it might be too late. But if it was still summer.

"What's the date today?" I asked. I didn't even care that I sounded stupid for asking. Anyone could've forgotten if they were caught up in something like this.

"It's…" He looked like he had to think about it. So I was right. He didn't know either. "I think it's… the fifth?" He answered. Hopefully he was getting this date from something he'd seen on the ship. But he still didn't give me a month. I was supposed to know _that_ at least but there really was **no** concept of time in the Lifestream. So I had no clue. Except that now it was possibly the fifth.

I finished pulling Cloud onto the bed and stood up to go to the door. "Vincent?" I whispered. Was he still out there? I was actually kind of hoping he was.

"What is it Zack?" Came the muffled reply.

I opened the door so that I could whisper to him without Cloud noticing. "What's the current date?"

"August seventeenth." He answered. He didn't seem to be aware of what sort of trouble he was in. Nothing bad of course but he was still in trouble. I mean, what sort of friend didn't know something like this? Even if Cloud didn't tell them he could've found out. Maybe it was simply inconsequential. But I wanted to think this was pretty big.

"Are you aware that you all almost forgot a perfect distraction from this whole thing?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" The gunman questioned. He was genuinely confused.

*"it's Cloud's birthday in two days." I grinned.

"What?" Vincent actually sounded shocked by that. "Was he trying to keep it quiet?"

"No. He's not aware of it." I answered.

"What made you think of this?"

"Honestly?" What Angeal said. It was a long shot though. "It was a **very** long shot."

"Okay." He sighed. "What do you want **me** to do about it?"

Well. I wasn't really sure. "See if Tifa knew. She might of thought about something." I answered.

He nodded and I stepped back into the room. Luckily Cloud hadn't tried to eavesdrop. It didn't exactly need to be a surprise. But perhaps the impact would be greater if it were.

He was currently lying back on the bed with his legs hanging off the side. His arms were folded behind his head and he was staring at the ceiling. "Hey Zack?" He said turning his head to look at me. His eyes were so innocent yet I could see the sadness behind them. Who wouldn't be? The only time his eyes were bright for quite a while was the brief moment when he thought we were going to track down those men. But for now I would ignore it. It was a little hard but all I wanted to see was the curiosity that was currently accompanying the innocence.

So I gave him my attention.

"Why did you change your hair?" He asked. "I liked you with bangs."

"What?" What a weird comment. I'd changed my usual hair style to better honor Angeal after I'd killed him. Not that Cloud was supposed to know that. He was just confused. Last time he'd seen me, according to his current memory, I had shorter hair with bangs. And apparently he liked my hair better that way. But would it be right for me to change it back?

"Just a thought." He sighed sitting up.

"Huh?"

"You looked like you were all worked up about something. You don't need to be. It was just a thought." He answered. "You looked gentler with bangs, that's all."

Gentler? "I scare you like this?" That would explain a bit. I looked more intimidating because of a simple change in hair style. Strange.

"No." No? "You don't scare me like this…" He didn't sound like he was lying. But he didn't sound sure either. Maybe he didn't even know. "I'm not scared." He said again. It was almost like **he** could read minds. The thought was, of course, ludicrous. But he was very good at guessing what other people were thinking. So apparently he can read body language and emotions pretty well.

"You're not scared." I repeated to let him know I heard. But he could still be uncomfortable.

"Gyah! Forget it." He sighed with a bit of a growl.

"You're the one who brought it up." I laughed sitting on the bed next to him. I looked over my shoulder to see if Orion was glaring at me. But it looked as though he'd gone to sleep. "Just goes to show you that random thoughts can be very dangerous things." I said ruffling his hair.

Cloud stopped and stared off into space.

That was strange. "Are you okay?" I asked. He showed no response. "Cloud?!" I shouted grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him lightly.

To my relief the blonde blinked a couple times and then stared at me like I was crazy. "What?" He replied shrugging my hands off his shoulders.

"You… but you… uh." I just gave up. He had a memory blank for some reason. That hadn't happened before. And I doubted it was good. Cautiously, I raised my hand up above his head. The whole while his eyes were following me with that same curiosity once more. I slowly brought my hand down until it was just above his head. He still just stared up at me with confusion. I poked the topmost spike on his head with my index finger. Nothing happened. He just blinked. So I dropped my hand down onto his head and ruffled his hair again. It didn't happen again. So I kept it up.

"Zack stop." He whined grabbing my wrist. "It's starting to hurt."

"Sorry." I frowned.

"What were you trying to do? Pull my hair out?" He asked putting his hands on top of his head.

I gasped as though he'd just spoken of something forbidden. Pulling out his hair. It **was** forbidden! Anyone who would dare mess up adorable little Cloudy boy wasn't human. It wasn't right. Depriving the world of something so beautiful. It was simply a crime. He caught people's attention. He was unique! No one with an ounce of common sense would ever destroy him. You just don't mess with his silky blonde spikes, or leave an ugly mark on his porcelain skin, and you **don't** try to blot out his bright blue eyes or smother his lyrical voice. You'd be a pariah for it!

"Zack?" Speaking of his lyrical voice. "Zack you're spacing again."

Was I? I thought I was right on target. I mean I was moving towards my objective. Cloud hadn't taken much notice of it yet. But I'd moved closer. And I kept on moving closer. Eventually I got so close that he had to start moving back. Which was okay. If he started to protest I'd back off.

"What?" He asked. He looked a little weirded out but that was normal. I _was_ being random after all. I moved in so close that he fell back against the pillow. As soon as he sensed there was nowhere left to go his eyes went wide. "No, no, no, no, no…!" He said shaking his head. He looked panicked. So much for my objective. "I'm sorry." **He's** sorry? But I was the one who was making him feel uncomfortable. But, come to think of it, he did this last time too.

"You don't have to be sorry." I said backing off and sitting back where I'd started.

"No. I do." He answered sitting up. "I know you're not _trying_ to do it but I can't help but feel wrong." I watched him bring his knees up to his chest. He didn't look alright. "I… I don't like feeling trapped." Was this a result from all that torment? No… in this state he hadn't been a cadet for very long. They couldn't have done **this** much damage. "I don't like the feeling that goes along with it. The feeling that there's no way out. The end of the line."

Hmm… The end of the line?

This would be something to talk about with Tifa. She might know why he was like this. It potentially had something to do with his childhood in Nibelheim.

"It's okay." I was disappointed but at the same time I kind of knew it would happen. It was only the second time I'd tried something like this. At least this time he told me he was aware that I meant no harm. Now it was looking as though it were practically an automatic reaction.

"You're really okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." There wasn't any hurry here. "Just know that I'm not trapping you. If you feel smothered I'll let up. You've got to be comfortable in this too. I'm not only trying to take care of me."

"I know." He said nodding.

I moved forward so that I was at the head of the bed as well. He seemed okay with it. There was no protest this time. I experimentally wrapped my arms around him. He didn't struggle. I guess he liked hugs. Maybe he just didn't like being on his back. I couldn't imagine what could've happened to make him like this. Last time he didn't really have this. I doubted that the whole detail of being on his back came from his hometown. But something like that could've been done easily with a couple incidents in the early months in the barracks. Poor kid. "You're okay." I said hugging him closer to me and swaying slightly. Not like I wanted to make him fall asleep or anything. But it would at least calm him down. I just didn't want to let him beat himself up over this. There was no need to. "There's no pressure. I'll just have to warn you next time."

"That might help…" He murmured into my shoulder.

"Alright." I whispered. **Anything** to make him feel better.

--

**(A/N) **Whoo! That's done. I don't really know if this was one of the better ones. Nothing much happened. Sorry. You waited and then I didn't deliver. That's how I feel anyway. I dunno what to say. Except I'm very sorry. Hopefully the next one will be out faster. I've just got another non-school project going right now. I doubt I'd be into it if it were for school anyhow… sorry again.

*I'm not sure when Cloud's birthday is. The date keeps on changing! It keeps on going back ad forth between the eleventh to the nineteenth! I have no clue. So I just picked one.


	18. Cloud's Clueless

**(A/N)** I know this took forever to get posted but it was only half my fault. I took a little while but my computer got slammed by a virus and had to be completely wiped. I'm not saying I had to start over, oh no. I saved everything on a thumb drive before we took it to be killed. But the back-up computer is a mini laptop. It's so mini that it can't handle a program like Microsoft word. Or any other word processing program for that matter. So I couldn't work on it as long as this was dead. And then there was another month where I couldn't use it because it didn't have an anti-virus program. So once I got it back I worked on this whenever I could.

* * *

"Zack please." I sighed leaning against the wall. I couldn't be sure why Zack was just standing there staring but I knew I really had to go. And by go I mean **go**. In this instance, finding the bathroom wasn't the problem. Oh no. The issue here was the stupid belt that held together this whole **stupid** outfit! And now it was not only fruity but torturous.

I pressed my back closer to the wall and did my best to hold it. But it wasn't easy. I'd been keeping it in for a while now. I was just happy I _could_ hold it for so long. But now it was getting to be too much for me. I had to tell someone. Unfortunately… I miscalculated. I had waited until we'd found the ship and the others had stopped smothering me before I'd whispered to Zack that I needed help. He was more than happy to oblige but he wasn't the right person for the job. Disappointing really. I'd thought he could handle it. Weren't SOLDIERs supposed to know how to do things like this? But he didn't seem to have a clue. He'd just played around with my belt for the past couple minutes. Which didn't help at all. He just needed to hurry.

"I'm trying to but it's harder than it seems." Whoa. That was a rather odd response to my thought. "You sure you don't know how to get it off?"

"No. I just know it **needs** to come off. I really have to go!" I growled trying to pull it off. It was a little irritating how many times I'd had to remind him of the fact that I freakin' had to pee. Really badly. It almost hurt. Why would someone ever even need something like this?!

Maybe I should've let Kozue cut it off of me… But how was I supposed to know _this_ would happen? I thought someone would've figured out how to get it off by now. Though it looked as if no one knew what they were doing when it came to this. Zack certainly didn't. I wished he did. Mostly I didn't want to embarrass myself by having this go on for too long. Oh man. I really hated being in these situations but somebody really needed to _save_ me!

"What are you doing?" I heard someone ask as they approached. Zack looked shocked. But I couldn't afford to care. One little surprise is all it would take! The embarrassment, however, was a bit harder to hold back. I felt a blush burning on my face. It was unstoppable.

I forced my eyes to look over at what was happening. It was only Vincent. For some reason I couldn't hear them. I saw Zack's mouth moving but no words were coming out. I knew he was talking. He had to be talking. Vincent was listening. For whatever reason I was just tuning it out. Maybe I was getting to the point where I couldn't focus on anything else except blocking the call of nature. This was just ridiculous! I closed my eyes so that I wasn't tempted to watch the others. For whatever reason that seemed to help. And not soon after I felt someone playing with my belt again. The blush was burning even brighter; I could tell that without looking. But who was doing this to me now? Was it Zack again? Oh no. It was only making it worse! This was so frustrating! I felt like I was gonna cry. But I-

What? Wait… the belt gave way! It was off! I was free! Ah! I couldn't make myself take the time to thank whoever had done it. I just ran into the bathroom and shut the door. After that, I did what I had to.

* * *

Now that was taken care of… I wasn't gonna think about it anymore. This whole thing was one ordeal I didn't want to ever remember or go through again. I just washed up a little before leaving. It was a little annoying, but convenient. I was currently stripped down to the pants and the under shirt. But only because I didn't want to go with the gloves on and I'd had to take the jacket off in order to do that. Once I'd washed my hands thoroughly enough I began to realize how much cooler it was on the ship. The jacket had certainly done its job of keeping me warm. That was for sure. And since I'd liked being all warm and cozy I put the garments back on. Not the best idea.

As soon as I walked out of the bathroom Vincent took me by surprise and returned the belt to its original place around my waist.

No! Vincent why?! **Now** I felt like I was gonna cry. This sucked!

"Come tell me if this problem arises again." After that I felt a hand patting my head. Normally I'd be annoyed but now I felt a little disgusted by the touch. I couldn't help it. I'd just gotten the stupid thing off and now it was on me again! One could only imagine that I would be a little bit miffed. I didn't care if it was childish. I let them both see it. I wanted the belt off! Why couldn't anyone understand this?! My complaint was about to be voiced, loudly. But before I could say a thing Vincent walked away.

I slouched and almost pouted. That was before I'd remembered that Zack was still standing in the hall with me. I had to be careful not to do things that may cause him to behave strangely. He seemed to react to things like pouting. Instead I asked, "Zack… could you…" I dunno. "Kill me?" This whole situation was just stupid. "Please?" Please! Somebody put me out of my misery! My life was being run by a belt! A stupid leather bound belt!

"No. Why would I do that?" Why? Because I asked you to. That's why!

"Because I **hate **this stupid outfit!" I snapped back. I didn't mean to. Good thing my voice was weak from my giving up on life entirely. Agh! How much more dramatic could I be? I wanted to die because I was stuck in an outfit I didn't like? That was just stupid! I was stupid! Why was I so stupid?! I hid my face in my hands, took a deep breath, and just slumped down against the wall. I couldn't help it. I was a dramatic person. I **really** didn't like these clothes. "It makes me look so… so…" Honestly? It looked as though I were a victim of a crazy aunt. A crazy aunt who _liked_ to dress their nephews up like girls. Not just an aunt. Any relative. There was always one. One of those people who thought it was just so adorable to make what they full well know is a boy dress all, "Fruity!" I didn't like it! It was times like these that made me glad that I didn't know any of my relatives. I didn't even care if I had any! The only people I needed were Mum, my friends, and Zack.

"… Not true." Wait. What's not true now? Oops… "Blue is a good color on you." Oh. He was talking about my clothes. Okay. I'd listen. But I knew his bias. Which kinda took down his credibility a couple notches. "It makes you look cute. Cute isn't fruity." I knew it. His bias also made it so that his reasoning was going to be linked to cuteness. He had to think that way. Which meant nothing because he'd probably find anything I wore cute. Still. I had to disagree. Cute wasn't one of my favorite compliments. Cute was good when you were a little kid. **Not** when you were older than about… ten.

"Yes it is. Cute is definitely fruity." I responded. Zack only made a face as though he disagreed. "It's not good." What did **he** know?! Did he have to put up with people telling him all these weird things? People he's never even met?! Seriously, where did Tifa find all these weirdoes? All these people who speak right to me as though they _know_ me! It wasn't necessarily a bad thing that they wanted to help in the whole… protecting me thing. But I… whatever. I just didn't like how they thought they could make all these decisions for me and have discussions about me. It was really rude. Still, "Do _you_ like to be called cute?" It would be a little strange if he did.

"Uhh…" Exactly what I thought. "Maybe…?" He paused for a moment before making an unsure sound. What? He didn't know? Well **I **did. And I didn't like it. It sounded as though he couldn't say much on the topic. That was good. Spared me a hassle.

"You're not making a very convincing argument." I muttered to the floor.

"Alright. Fine" Yeah. We're not going to talk about it anymore, so stop trying. "A sensitive subject." Yeah, what was your **first** clue? "Let's just do something else for now. What do you want to do?"

"Find something else to wear." I grumbled. Was that even a question?

That seemed to agitate him. He groaned before saying, "Besides that." Besides that? I didn't want to do anything else. He asked me what I wanted to do and I told him. Wasn't it supposed to end at that? "Was someone looking after you out there?" He finally asked after a long pause.

Oh. So he wanted to play twenty questions? That was it. So he wasn't genuinely interested in what I wanted to do. He just wanted to pull information from me. But I wasn't really sure if I should tell him anything. I didn't want to get Kozue in trouble. I had to assume that I was right in thinking that he was a convict or something. If I told Zack about him he might tell someone and then, worst case scenario, he might have some Shinra troops after him. Oh, oops. I wasn't paying attention. "What?" I asked. He made a face telling me he hadn't said anything else. "Umm…" What had he said? "Yes." I remember now. Kozue. Yeah. Kozue was the one looking after me. But I wasn't going to give out his name to anyone. Even though that wasn't his _name_.

"Yes?" Yeah. "Who was it?"

"I dunno." I lied. I'd kinda gotten good at it. "Does it matter?" I'd also found that people didn't hassle me too much if I played dumb. Not that I needed much help in that category. When I looked back on certain situations I could see that sometimes when I'd acted really stupid I wasn't acting. Kinda a bad thing to realize. I glanced over at Zack in time to see him nod. "But I don't know." This wasn't a lie at least. "He lied to me about who he was the whole time." That made him take on a rather perplexed look. Good, he was confused by that too. I could also use this to take the conversation away from where it was going. "Do we really have to travel like this?" I'd just remembered that we were about to **fly**! Why did it have to be an airship?! Land vehicles were bad enough! Hopefully it wouldn't seem so bad compared to flying with Kozue. "I already feel sick just thinking about it." I stood up and felt unsteady on my feet even while we were still. Leaning against the wall helped.

"Hey! Don't get sick now! We aren't even moving." Uhh… this wasn't really something I could stop. "Uh… uh…" What? "Think about something else." Such as?! I was open to suggestion at this point. This was ridiculous!

What happened next was fast. The ship lurched to life and took off. I watched Zack sway slightly but when I looked back to the floor I couldn't help but notice how much closer it was getting. Great! I'd fallen over like an idiot! And as if that wasn't bad enough, I hope he didn't notice, I'd gasped. In a little high-pitched way. Perhaps I should go out the airlock again…

"Are you okay?!" Zack asked as he knelt down to level with me.

I just closed my eyes without saying anything. Why wouldn't I be okay? This was a little annoying but… I could deal with it. I didn't really like it when he didn't pay attention to me. Not like that happened much, but the few times it did, I didn't like it. Now that I think about it that could become annoying to _him_. So, even though I probably wouldn't, I'd have to make sure not to become bratty. I mean, it was okay. His focus could be on something else. I stood up slowly. "I'm gonna go lie down." I sighed. He tried to say something else but I decided to work on getting to the room. If he wanted to continue chatting he could follow me.

"Okay." I heard him say behind me. Then, expected of the expected, his footsteps indicated that he was following me. That was alright. I'd be fine as long as he allowed me to walk with my own two legs. And for a moment it looked like he wasn't going to let me. He placed his arms on my shoulders, but I relaxed when he didn't lift me up. He was just making sure I didn't fall over I suppose. Again, it was a little annoying but if he didn't do it I think I'd be insulted. So I guess it was good that he was doing that. But…

His hands left my shoulders as he sighed with a remembrance of something. "I'll be right there." What? "I just need a minute." What was he…? Okay. I nodded and kept going on my own.

This was okay. I mean, maybe I should avoid him. I **did** kinda do something stupid a few hours ago. I could hardly believe it. I'd kissed _Zack_! Since the others had found us he hadn't said much of anything about it. At least they didn't find us making out or anything. But, for some reason, they didn't seem to like it. The dark haired man, Vincent, practically snatched me away. He wasn't rough or anything but it was kinda rude. We were only hugging after all. I just couldn't understand why he did it. He didn't do it in a jealous way or anything… And now they'd just _decided_ that I had to keep this stupid belt on?! I couldn't be certain but I was pretty sure that the two things were linked.

Oh well… I'd just go back to my room and sleep. Thinking about this crud was making the nausea worse!

* * *

I'd finally made it to my room after a few minutes of trudging down the hall. I couldn't help but notice how considerably longer it had seemed. It was almost an ordeal! But after it all, I suppose it was worth it to see Orion. He was all curled up on the bed sound asleep. I envied him. I could try to sleep, but it was always hard for me to get to sleep when I was this uncomfortable. If only I didn't have this stupid motion sickness. Then I'd sleep every time we traveled. Hmm… Maybe I should take some Nyquil… Or was it Pepto? I just needed **something** to make me feel better and drowsy at the same time.

But when I checked the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, it looked as though it wasn't stocked with much. There wasn't anything that could be used to help me. "Oh well…" I sighed. It couldn't be helped. I walked back over to the bed and laid there defeated. I was gonna have to live with it. Oh man… I didn't wanna! This was so annoying! I felt really gross! I wonder if Vincent would at least let me bathe. Seeing as how gross could be simplified down to feeling like trash and kinda grimy at the same time. I wonder if I stank. Did all this really matter at this point? Concentrating on something else worked for a short time it felt. But it didn't work long. This time especially.

I curled up, bringing my knees close, and decided not to move. This always worked out the best. It made me feel like I was almost… comfortable. I might've been able to fall asleep if it weren't for the door opening. "You doin' okay?" I heard Zack ask. Why… did that sound so… familiar? Whatever.

I ignored the déjà vu feeling and nodded. "I feel better than I did. Not a good idea to move though." It really wasn't. I felt fine now but that feeling would go away if I even tried to sit up. Zack was a good guy.

"Kweh!"

What?! What was that? Orion? Why was he misbehaving? Oh… wait. Zack must've moved. It was strange the way Orion hated the idea of Zack coming too close to me. "Calm down, Orion." I groaned. I was so sick of people doing this! Sure I hadn't known him for too long, but Zack wanted to be… friends… maybe. What was I talking about?! Zack hadn't done anything! It was me! It was all me. So Zack _wasn't _as bad as everyone seemed to think. All of these odd people I didn't even know nonverbally accusing him of something. I'd known **him** longer than I'd known **them**! Oh… what was the point? I didn't have the energy for this. I didn't even have the energy to stop Orion. That would've required me to move. And that was something I really didn't want to do. So…

I guess I'd started to doze off because I was suddenly snapped back to the waking world when Zack said my name. I didn't want conversation; I wanted to sleep through this. I'd finally started to and then he stopped me. Oh man! And since I didn't want to talk I simply let out an obviously false snore. "Hey!"

What happened next was a bit of a blur to me. One moment I was on the bed, the next I was on the floor. Did… Zack just… kick me off the bed? I couldn't tell. I was so stressed out, Orion was screaming, and now I was on the floor being showered by some green feathers. Was I _supposed_ to be getting a migraine? I didn't want a migraine! "Zaaack." Make it stop!

"C'mon Cloud, just get up. Don't think about it." What? Didn't I tell him that I didn't think it was a good idea for me to move? I was pretty sure I'd puke if I put my core through the process of trying to lift myself up off the floor. Darn it! This was just cruel! I knew he was trying to help but… I just didn't wanna.

"I can't." It hurt whenever I tensed my core muscles. Was he torturing me? No… No, Zack wouldn't do that. I knew that. I was just being stupid. I always got cranky like his when I got sick. But there wasn't much prevention to be done. I just hated being even **more** helpless than usual!

"Attempt. **Please** attempt." What made him think that I could? Why was he so sure that I could do this?! I looked up at him with almost a glare but lost the anger once our eyes met. He looked so hopeful; like he actually _believed_ in me. Didn't he know that was a meaningless effort? I wasn't strong or intelligent. I was hardly worth anything. I'd tried to change that by joining the army and proving them all wrong. But… Well things didn't really work out the short time I was in the barracks. I was pretty sure my instructors **hated** me. And now this?! How could Zack have any hope left? If I couldn't even do something so simple as getting people to take me seriously how was I supposed to do this? It couldn't be done. "Just try to get up. That's all I'm asking." He said in a pleading voice. I couldn't help but get a little frustrated. He shouldn't waste his time on me like this. He should just give up like all the others. I couldn't do _anything_! Didn't he understand that?! "Fine, do you want me to help you?" He sighed.

No. I shook my head as best I could. "I'll stay on the floor." I answered. I **didn't** want to move. The floor was fine. I was getting used to it. I could be comfortable here.

"Wark! Wark! Wark!" Okay… maybe not. Ugh… Why?

"How do I make him stop?" Zack asked covering his hears. I cringed slightly. Orion was screaming right next to him. That had to be really harsh on his enhanced hearing.

"Uhh…" How could I help? I grit my teeth and used my hands to push myself up. The pain was about as bad as I'd expected. It wouldn't have been worth it otherwise. But this circumstance seemed to call for me showing the chick that I wasn't hurt by _Zack_. "Orion." He couldn't hear me over his own noise, I'm sure. Oh c'mon! "Calm down." I tried again. But it wasn't working. He really couldn't hear me. His squawking was too loud for anyone to even hear themselves think.

"Okay. C'mon Cloud." That was the only warning Zack gave before forcing me up onto my knees. He coulda done a better job than that. Needless to say, it took me by surprise. And this surprise hurt. It'd spared me the pain of trying to force _myself_ to get up again. But movement was movement. I suppose it could've been worse but… just… ow. I didn't even bother to hide how annoyed I was. If I were to puke right now I had no idea if I'd bother to try and avoid hitting Zack or not. Hopefully I'd forgive him if that happened. Orion was already screaming and practically attacking him, I guess he didn't need me to go and puke on his lap. That being decided I wasn't going to think about it anymore. It was gross. And it made me want to bathe even more. Sadly, that wasn't something they were allowing me to do. For some reason… Maybe I should just forget about how insecure or afraid I was of him and ask Vincent to take the belt off. Or beg. I wasn't too proud to beg about stupid things.

Ouch! I was being moved again. "You need to show Orion that I'm not evil." Zack breathed as he pulled me up onto the bed. The biggest problem here would be that he was trying to be careful. In most situations like this I would've appreciated that, but now it was torture. Careful movements made the ordeal go by slowly. Couldn't he just do it quickly and get it done in one fell swoop?! I knew it wouldn't really have made a difference. But I couldn't help it! I couldn't take the pain and discomfort. Zack sounded pretty oblivious to the pain he was causing me. And I wasn't going to whine about it, so I'd just have to get over it I guess. He seemed to really believe that he could magically make Orion like him. How was he supposed to do that? I was able to listen when the pain subsided from the movement ceasing. He said something about doing it through example. How was that even possible?

"I can't do it." I answered. I couldn't move, what could I do? **What **could _I_ do?! I was more useless than usual like this! Great! Even though I wasn't moving my frustration was making my stomach churn. I clutched my stomach in a stupid attempt to make myself feel better. It didn't do much to help me relax but I felt as though I had to do something.

"You don't need to do anything." Well that's a relief. He shifted slightly so that he could wrap his arms around me… I hadn't even realized he was lying next to me. "You just need to lay here and relax." Relax? That would've been a very nice notion. But I felt as though I was too riled up to even **begin** to relax!

"But I-"

"Shush!"

That was out of the ordinary. I guess Zack was sick of hearing whatever I was gonna say. Something degrading towards myself. I'd forgotten what I was going to say. Not many people shushed me. At least they didn't very often. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not. It didn't quite sound like he was. "Just relax." He whispered into my ear. It was loud for a whisper. I found it very strange how his hot breath made me shiver. This always happened. And it always made me feel weird. I shouldn't be reacting this way. He was a guy. I knew that I'd already done worse… but I dunno. I needed confirmation on some things.

"Wark!" Orion screeched. Great! Interrupt me!

"Orion, stop it!" I ordered. It wasn't the best thing to lose my temper with him like that. But what was I supposed to do about it? He was being unreasonable, not that I'd expected him to be able to reason. He just showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Besides, it worked. He quieted down and eventually got off the bed to go sleep in the corner. I was already frustrated and then there was the noise, and my stupidity… I just needed to… Uh… I wouldn't make a habit of it.

"Oof!" I gasped as Zack suddenly pulled me closer to him. How was I supposed to relax when this was happening? I'd never been so close to someone before. At least not like this. His body was right up against mine. Or mine was right up against his. He was close, very close. Not exactly too close. I was surprisingly comfortable with this. But not too comfortable. This whole thing was still a little bit awkward for me. Wasn't this…? I don't know. I probably shouldn't worry about it. It felt good. I liked to feel secure like this. If only I didn't feel sick. I'd feel so much happier if I wasn't in so much pain. I got the feeling that he was trying to help. He was even stroking the hand I had on my stomach. But I couldn't stop myself from feeling as bad as I did.

Wait. What was he doing now? This was… Zack was… he was nipping my jaw. Strange. It made me feel really funny. I could feel my face heating up as something odd started to form at the pit of my stomach. It made me feel great for an instant, but then… well… you know. It didn't last. Instead it blended with the sickness and the blush began to feel like a fever instead. Good thing it passed quickly. The feverish feeling anyway. I silently groaned in some sort of relief. And then Zack decided he was going to kiss me again. It didn't matter how light it was, or that it was only on the cheek like last time, it still made the blush come back. And it was more furious than before. I guess now he wasn't going to give me time to round back to feeling sick because he didn't stop there. But I didn't know what he was doing exactly. Or more like I didn't know _why_ he was doing it. For some reason he was… nibbling my ear? That had happened before but I didn't think anyone seriously did that. I thought it was a joke. But now Zack was doing it? He wasn't cruel, he wouldn't prank me like this, right? I wanted to ask but my voice was gone. It felt like I couldn't even open my mouth. Some sound wanted to come out but I didn't want Zack to hear it. I had no idea what it was going to be and I didn't want to risk being embarrassed by it. Although I found it was harder and harder to hold it in, especially when he slowly dragged his tongue up the lobe. Why was he licking my ear? Ohh… never mind. Who cared? I didn't.

I felt some movement from his other hand. He reached up with his left hand and caressed my cheek. Then he tried to pull me even closer, even though that wasn't possible, and ended up squeezing me. Now I was starting to feel uncomfortable again. The illness was beginning to win over whatever Zack was doing. I tried to move away from him but, Zack was holding me too tight, he wouldn't let go. He was kissing what part of my neck he could and appeared to be in his own little world. His thumb was even stroking my lower lip and felt as though it was trying to gain entry to my mouth. I wasn't gonna let that happen. How was I supposed to tell him to stop? If I opened my mouth to speak I'd… Ugh. I closed my eyes and tried to think of how to fix this but I couldn't focus. Oh no. This was going south! My eyes snapped open when I'd realized that it literally was going south. Zack's hand had slipped down to my belt. He even fumbled with it a little before just letting his hand settle there.

Now he was just doing whatever he could to whatever part of me wasn't clothed. And now I was doing what **I** could to silently protest but he wasn't paying attention. I couldn't struggle too much or else I'd vomit. If only I could. Then he'd notice! I knew he wasn't meaning to but this was scaring me. A lot! Oh! Zack! Please realize what you're doing! I stupidly made a ridiculous noise to try and prevent myself from reacting in the usual way.

**That** made him stop. He released me, breathed out an inaudible sentence, and then got up off the bed. Had he noticed what he'd done? I didn't move to see the expression on his face, moving was an even worse idea now. "I'll be right back." He said while walking out the door.

"Phew…" I sighed. Glad that was over. Was I bad at this or…? Zack _was_ just teasing. He really got into it and took his teasing seriously. But… that didn't make sense. "What do I do now, Orion?"

The green bird looked away from the door and back at me. But all he did was tilt his head to the side. So I guess that meant I was supposed to do nothing. And that translated into what? It'd be pointless to nap. Zack would be back in a few minutes. And I always slept. So I guess I'd space…

* * *

"Cloud, wake up already." I heard Zack say suddenly.

"I'm not asleep." I answered. My eyes were open. I'd just been staring at the wall thinking about nothing. Although he'd taken longer than I thought he would.

"You doing better?" He asked sitting on the bed. I could tell he was leaning over when the mattress dipped. Then his hand was on my shoulder pulling me onto my back. "You don't look better." He said uncapping a potion.

"I'm not better." I replied feeling the effects of being moved.

"You'd better drink this." He pushed the vile to my lips and didn't give me much chance to protest. I had to ingest the liquid before I could say anything. But it wasn't as bad as when Kozue did it. That jerk. But no time to think about that now. Zack wasn't done apparently. He had some materia. Hmm… well… I _did_ have a bump here and there. Okay. I suppose I could let him heal me.

It didn't take long. He only needed a moment to focus, there was a flash of dim light, and then he was done. No. Wait. He wasn't done. He grabbed my left arm and placed the materia right on the old wound. That bite was healing alright on its own. He didn't have to do that. "Wha?" I didn't notice that there was any sort of affliction until it was gone. But there had been significant irritation until now. Wow. I wonder why I'd blotted it out. As far as I knew, it'd stopped hurting after the potion Kozue had given me. Oh… Kozue… oh no. What happened to him?

I got caught up in worrying about that for a while before Zack stopped me and told me to knock it off. But how could I?

"I'm not trying to be. I just can't stop thinking about it." I answered.

"About what?" What? I looked to see Zack smiling about something. He'd obviously caught me on something. Crap! What could I tell him?! Uh… Um… "I'm waiting, Cloud." Uhh… Oh, what was the point? I didn't really feel like lying right now.

"I…" Oh man! This could mean trouble, but… "I'm worried about the man who was with me. How am I supposed to know what happened to him? He didn't exactly leave me with any reassurance." I blurted out. It was true. Kozue may have been a jerk, but he'd taken care of me. Which meant that he had a heart. So… we had a connection of some sort. I was concerned. And hopefully he was concerned too. I listened to Zack apologize about something. But I wasn't paying too much attention. "I just hope he's okay. I don't know what I'd do if he was dead." Kozue was strong but… so was Yazoo.

"What happened to Yazoo?" Zack mumbled.

"I dunno." I shrugged. "Probably dead."

"Hopefully Yazoo isn't dead." Zack answered. Was he serious? He looked serious. Gaia, he was _actually_ serious. "I know he's on the opposing side but he doesn't deserve to die."

"Doesn't he?" An intruding voice asked. I turned around to see Vincent stepping in. H-had he been there the whole time?

"No. He doesn't." Zack responded. He sounded almost… angry. Why would Zack be so serious about something like this?

I really didn't think I should say anything. I mean I didn't want him to get mad at me but, "Wouldn't that be good for us?" I had to ask. It seemed odd that Zack didn't want to lessen the numbers of our enemies. Wasn't that something you were supposed to do?

"No." He answered. No? What was he talking about? He seemed to be rethinking that statement. Good. He wasn't crazy. "Yes." There ya' go. How could it **not **be good for us? "But that doesn't change anything. Dying isn't…"

"You can't possibly expect to make it through this with no deaths, Zack." Vincent interjected once again. "If you try, someone who you're trying to protect might die." His red eyes shifted from Zack and focused on me. Gaia! He was saying I was gonna die! No… I was reminded of all the things Kozue had told me. Especially the beheading bit. It made me so scared. There was **actually** a possibility that I would **die**! It wasn't a joke. It could actually happen! I started to shake I was so afraid. They were still looking at me! I tightly shut my eyes and looked away. But I could still feel their eyes on me.

"I'm aware of that." Zack snapped.

Why were they doing this?! I didn't want to hear it! I hated the thought of someone lobbing my **head** off! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Not a nice topic. Couldn't they talk about something else?! I hated this subject! They always made such a big deal about this guy. This all-powerful person. At least they made it seem that way. But they **never** told me about him. They never clued me in on anything! So what was the point of this conversation?!

"He needs to be aware of it as well. I can't treat the situation as though it doesn't concern him. He's old enough to know that his life is on the line." Old enough to…?! What was he talking about?! I was **fourteen**! A teenager. I was just barely mature enough to know something like that. Teenagers don't want to hear anything about death. They thought they were **invincible**! Didn't this guy pay attention to stereotypes?! I really wanted to shake my head and protest but…

"I wonder if that guy would've been of help to us." Zack cut in. Good! Thank you Zack! Change the subject! I owed him _so_ much.

"Hmm?"

"Yep." I answered before Vincent could change the subject back.

Zack looked interested. But of course. I knew he meant Kozue. And I knew he wanted to know about him. But that was still something I couldn't say. "Was he powerful or something?" He asked. Well Duh! "How powerful?" I almost answered but then I shrugged. What if he could tell who it was from that? I couldn't exactly tell him that Kozue was insanely strong. Almost like SOLDIER strength! "Can't you tell me?" Zack pouted.

"No." I could not.

"Please?"

"No."

"Oh come on!" What the? Why was he whining like that?

I was confused for a second but, "No."

"Vincent, make him talk." Zack complained. I could sense he wasn't serious.

"I could but I doubt you would like the methods." The gunman answered.

After that Orion shrieked. It was strange how he seemed to understand the human language. He was so loyal it almost made me smile. But this was no time to smile. **Mr. Valentine** was being a little uh… scary. He looked so serious.

"I was joking." I heard Zack say in a serious tone as well.

"I was too." He was _joking_? That was his humor?

'He was doing it wrong' I thought as I furrowed my eyebrows. You kinda had to change your tone. Monotone humor, huh? It wasn't that funny. "Uwah?!" I gasped when Zack suddenly pulled me against him in a tight embrace.

"I don't want you to torture him until he gives us a name." Torture? What? Did I miss something?! I was gonna be tortured?! Holy crap, what was the matter with these people?! I thought we were on the same side. Why would they do that? For a name I didn't know?! Shiva! Maybe I should consider running and hiding again… No. Maybe not. It would be okay. Zack wasn't gonna let him do that. I wouldn't have to do that anymore. Zack was here.

"No. I was talking about a truth serum. But I doubt he'd like that." I heard Vincent say.

Truth serum?! No way I would like that! Zack wouldn't let him do th-

"Truth serum exists?!" Zack shouted right next to my ear. I jumped but not really because of the noise. Why did he sound like he was considering it?

"I believe they have something of the sort in Wutai. Why? Are you going to try it?"

What?! No! No way! I looked at Zack, hoping he would turn it down. But he had a blank expression.

"Uhh…" Was his only response. He had to **think** about it? But… if they did that… what if it worked?! How long did something like that last? What else would they ask me?!

"Any name I gave you would be worthless anyway! He kept on giving me a fake name. I knew it was bull, but he insisted it wasn't. So I don't know! I already told you that. I don't know!" Please don't force anything out of me. What if they made me tell them really embarrassing things?!

"What was the name was he using? What did he look like? Was there anything odd about him? Those are all things we'd like to know." Vincent all but sighed. But I-

"Why are you trying to protect this guy you hardly know?" Zack mused.

I owed him, didn't I? Why were they both ganging up on me like this? Was Kozue really that important? Maybe I _would_ tell them. And they can have a good time trying to find him! He didn't matter. So he was powerful? So what? He was gone. He didn't want to be found. That was obvious. If he wanted to stick around and meet people he would have. But he had planned on ditching before they got there. He would've been _long_ gone if it weren't for Yazoo!

"What about those other two men?" What the? When did Vincent get so close to the door? "The chocobo farmers?" Herb and Alvar?!

Zack shrugged something. But I was too focused on how bad I felt. They were really nice and I just kinda disappeared. They were probably concerned.

"Are we gonna go find them?" I asked. It was a good idea. A very good idea. I liked those guys… even though we didn't exactly meet under the best circumstances. I touched my hand to where the rock had hit me and smirked. It was the best I could do to keep from laughing.

"Where were they going?" Geez! He really liked asking questions, huh?

"I think they said… Gongaga…"

"We can't go there." Zack interrupted. We couldn't go there? Why couldn't we go there. Zaneth and Rikash probably wanted their chick back. Why would Zack be so against it? I stared at him, hoping he'd explain himself. I didn't want to hear anything along the lines of 'none of my business'. "Gongaga is my hometown. _They_ might be there… That and I… can't face my parents right now." He said looking very saddened by something.

"That reasoning is sound." Vincent said before leaving.

"It is?" Shouldn't he not run away from his parents like that? And why would '_they_' be there? That was something along the lines of 'none of my business', right? They didn't really tell me anything. Again.

"Do you _like_ to be put into dangerous situations?" Zack asked in an odd tone. The type of tone that made you feel like they'd poked you, even when they hadn't.

"No." I wasn't an adrenaline junkie.

"Then the reasoning is sound." Zack replied. Wow. Way to be a smart ass. He must've noticed my annoyed expression because he went on to say, "Don't worry about it. You'll probably see them again." The whole while he had this kinda cheesy grin.

I couldn't help it. I caved. The grin was just so ridiculous. And he kept it up. "I really hope I run into them again. I was kinda kidnapped away from them. But who am I kidding? They probably don't even think about me anymore. But Orion isn't mine. He's their chick. And, you know, since they were looking for him and I found him… I just feel they'd want him back."

Zack nodded. Blankly. Great. He wasn't listening to me. Oh well…

Maybe… now that Vincent was gone… I could ask Zack about that moment before we were found. He didn't look like he'd care too much. Or maybe… I dunno! How could I know for sure unless I tried?! "So… uh… about… about earlier…?" When I made a complete idiot out of myself. "I uh…" What was I doing? What am I thinking?! I shouldn't think about that. "You uh… um…" I couldn't do it. What's the use? I should just stop talking. I was weird. This whole thing was weird. I kissed him! A guy! He probably wanted to forget about it. I guess I could just shut up before this got too big? Gyah! This was so confusing! I should just stop now, but now he was paying attention to me. He even looked a bit disappointed now that I'd stopped talking. But I couldn't. I just swallowed and looked down at my feet.

It wasn't too long before I felt him push me. I jumped at his touch. This was so embarrassing! But I suppose he wanted me to finish what I'd started. "Sorry, I'm nervous." I exhaled. "Earlier. When I… you know." Although he probably didn't know. "Did you _mean_ to uh… kiss me back or… or were you just caught up in the moment?" Dammit! This was too much! I didn't have to see myself to know that my face was beet red. But it was too late. I'd already said it. Now I had to wait for the answer. I looked at him and tried not to die. He looked surprised! Oh no! Did he forget about it and then I just brought back the memory?! Ahhh! I felt myself begin to tremble. Was he gonna be angry at me?! I couldn't look at him anymore. The floor was the only thing I'd allow myself to see.

"I wasn't caught up in the moment." What?! Was he being serious? I looked back at him to make sure he was taking this seriously. It was hard to tell. He _looked_ like he was being serious enough. But… I couldn't be sure. "I…" What? He what?! Why was **he** pausing now?! "To be honest I like you… **a lot**. But uh…"

"So…" I couldn't wait anymore. "Are we… together?" I asked gulping down what felt like my heart. That wasn't a pleasant feeling. But at least it got it out of my ear. But I'd surprised Zack again. I felt very light headed. If he didn't answer me soon I think I'd pass out.

"Only if _you_ want to be." He answered. That didn't help me. He even did something of a laugh. I couldn't let it bother me. I had to just get all the answers I needed now. Right now.

"When you say 'like', do you really mean…?" I drew back slightly I couldn't say it!

"Love?" Zack asked.

"Yeah." I sighed feeling defeated. He knew what I was talking about.

"Yes. Yes I do." He did? He honestly l-loved me? Seriously? Why didn't he say something before? "Do you?" What?! He just totally blindsided me!

I couldn't find the words. My voice was all but gone until I bit my lip. "I… think so. But I don't really know. I'm not familiar with all this." I blurted out. I couldn't help it. There was no way I could stop this… this… word vomit. "So where do we go from here?" I asked. I was feeling a little better, but he couldn't just stay silent for another minute.

"We stay here for as long as you want I suppose." He answered. Again, that didn't help me. Why was he leaving it up to me? I wasn't reliable! I had no idea what I was doing. I felt the bed shift as he scooched closer to me. He was gonna do something? Had he noticed that I had no idea what to do? I was a little relieved that he was going to make a move. If that was what he was going to do anyways. What am I saying? I _wanted_ a guy to make a move on **me**? Why did it have to be me?! Why did it have to be him?! A man! I-I-I never thought it would be true. People had made fun of me and called me a… fag before. But now it was true?! "This is… confusing." I groaned.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked. He didn't find this strange?

"I guess I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this." I replied looking back at the floor. "I'd always thought these things happened differently."

"Huh?" Zack looked confused that I was confused. Why was he so okay with this? "Is it because I'm a guy?" Well… yes… but I couldn't tell him that. I couldn't keep on getting hung up on that. I could get over it… I think. Zack was just a person. I couldn't let this bother me. I couldn't let _them_ win. Right?

"N-No. I've gotten past that." I answered. Though lying wasn't exactly truthful. I could. Even though that really was what was bothering me. I knew it happened. People fell in love with a person of the same sex. I just never even thought it would happen to me. But I could do it. I'd be okay. I don't think he believed me but it was fine. "It just feels a little… fast. Aren't these things normally slower?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Zack shouted suddenly. It caught my attention and made me look up. He had his hands out in front of him as though he were pushing me back. "Hold on. No one said this thing was fully developed. These things **do** take time. The ground work has just barely been set."

What? When he put it like that it sounded really weird. Ground work? "You make it sound like you've got everything scheduled. Do you know something I don't?" I asked. If I were paranoid I might think that he'd been manipulating me this whole time. But that was impossible.

Still, I was a little suspicious. Even though he told me, "No. What makes you say that?"

"Okay…" I sighed.

"You're holding out too." He said in a rather accusatory tone. "You said you would explain things, but now you're refusing to." What?! He was gonna go and turn it around on **me **now? No! I wouldn't be jerked around like this. They had to tell me something. There was Vincent going on about how mature I was and now they wouldn't tell me anything! How hypocritical.

"But -"

"Don't go making excuses." He said putting a finger to my lips. "I'm not judging you about it." He wasn't? "I'm simply making a point."

"I'm not allowed to change my mind?" I sputtered. What were they gonna do to make me talk? I couldn't get anything out of them, but I suppose I wasn't respected enough to have my own secrets?! I couldn't betray Kozue like that. What would he think if I narked on him and he got locked up? Why? Why do they want to know so badly? I'd changed the subject and then it came back to this?!

"You can change your mind." Zack replied deciding he was going to hug me. Was that supposed to make me feel better? If anything now I felt like he had trapped me. That only made me nervous. "Just be warned, if you **do** decide _not_ to tell me, I will tickle you until you **un-**decide." He'll… tickle me? What? As if that would make me talk? Well… maybe… I hated that. It was so embarrassing. I couldn't help it. I let out a nervous noise that sounded like a laugh. At least Zack didn't hold that against me. "You don't have to say everything. Just…" Just what?

"You shouldn't be bullying me like this."

"I'm not meaning to." He said before thinking for a minute. Then said, "Don't change the subject."

"But it wasn't a big deal." I answered. That was all I could say before I was cut off by uncontrollable laughter. He was tickling me? He was _actually_ tickling me?! I couldn't believe it. But I couldn't really stop myself from laughing either. It was hard. He was tickling my **stomach** of all places! I had to hold my breath to even begin to stop myself. No one had done that to me for a long time. Not that I remembered anyway. But I had to stop. I wasn't gonna give in like this because of something so stupid! After what seemed like a few minutes, he stopped.

"You okay?" He asked. "I didn't tickle you too hard, did I?" You can do that? You can hurt someone by tickling them?

"No…" I said before I tried to escape… unsuccessfully. But I had to get away. This was humiliating. "I just don't wanna tell you."

"Oh really? Don't you want to know yourself?"

"Nope." Yes! Gaia yes! But I couldn't. "I know what you're trying to do." But Zack didn't say anything. I just felt him shrug. "D-don't play innocent!" He knew exactly what I was talking about. "Just let go of me." I tried to slip out of his hold but was stopped once again. He simply held on tighter around my waist. "I'm not going to do it! I won't tell!" He gave me a warning that he'd tickle me again but I didn't care. If he **did** do it again I wouldn't laugh. So, "Do whatever you want. I won't become a fink!" I'd probably just kick and shout for Vincent.

"You don't need to be a fink. You just need to tell me what happened." I don't want to. That should be enough. "There were bullets everywhere so it was Yazoo."

I didn't care. I didn't want to talk about it. I just groaned and tried not to whimper pathetically. He was holding onto me so tightly. I couldn't get away. I thought I would start having flashbacks!

"Don't be like that. I'm not going to hurt you." He said softly. "So it **was** Yazoo?" He was gonna force me to answer really obvious questions that he already knew the answer to? Really? What was he gonna do, try to twist in a question to make me tell him about Kozue at the very end?

I paused long enough to roll my eyes before nodding. He knew it was Yazoo! "Is there anyone else after me who wields a gun?" I asked sarcastically. This was just a stupid way of trying to get me to talk.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Zack, you're making me feel like I'm filing a police report or something." I sighed. This was annoying. And I wasn't afraid to let him know how annoyed I was. I was so agitated that I just brushed off his arms and stood up. "Look, Yazoo was just trying to take me somewhere. He didn't say where. At first he threatened me, but they were kinda empty threats. Then he got mad and I thought he might kill me but he didn't get the chance."

"Why did he get angry?" Ugh! Zack! Stop it! Now he was going all school counselor on me.

I shook my head and paced. This was annoying. But I suppose I'd have to give him something if I wanted him to leave me alone about it. I paced back and forth agitatedly. Damn, he was persistent. But I still wouldn't sell Kozue out. So I'd have to give him proof that he had reason to worry. That wouldn't be so bad, right? How badly could he freak out now that it'd already passed? So I stopped pacing and stood right in front of him. It appeared that he'd been staring at the something the entire time I'd been pacing. Still, I took whatever it was I'd used as a weapon out of my pocket and handed it to him. "I stabbed him with this." That would've made anyone angry, I'm sure.

He examined it curiously and then only looked confused. "You actually got Yazoo mad?"

"It wasn't hard. All I did was give him difficulty about everything." I shrugged.

Zack nodded slightly at that. "So he tried to shoot you?" Now I nodded. This was an awkward, pointless conversation. "Am I safe to assume that it was Yazoo's blood all over the ground?"

"Uhh…" Could I say this? Was I being duped? "Some of it is from someone else."

"Okay." Zack said swinging his feet over the side of the bed. Oh no. I'd said something. "That's all you needed to say. I don't need to know anymore." I did. I'd said too much. Oh no! I fell for it! "So, anything else you'd like to talk about?"

"My answer is trying to get this stupid thing off." I sighed. I hated this thing.

Zack just shook his head. "I can't help you with that. Not without a lot of fumbling around with it and belts are in an awkward place." Even though I really wished I hadn't, I stopped and thought about it. And he was right. It was really uncomfortable when he was messing around down there trying to get it off before. But I was desperate! Now I didn't really _need_ it to come off. Not for anything that was an emergency like that had been. Besides. Vincent told me to ask him if that happened again. Still. Zack trying to get the belt off was not a good idea. "It's just your luck, huh?" He asked.

Yeah, no kidding. My luck sucked! But what could I do to change it? I started to pace again to think about it when I felt something tighten around my neck. It came so suddenly it kinda gagged me. I turned slightly to see Zack pulling on one of the ribbons around my neck. I furrowed my eyebrows and opened my mouth to yell at him but then he started pulling the ribbon so hard he was pulling **me** backwards! "Hey!" That wasn't fair! That jerk! "What are you doing, Zack?" I asked a little frantically.

"I just want you closer to me." He answered with a really dorky smile. I couldn't get away now. He'd already pulled me back against him and had his arms around me. What was he going to do now? "What's the date today?" He asked. Wow… did he have A.D.D. or something? Oh well. Better just answer his question.

"It's…" What _was _the date? I couldn't think of it. When was the last time I'd looked at a calendar? "I think it's… the fifth?" I answered. But I couldn't be sure.

With that he pulled the ribbons so that I laid back onto the bed and then he got up. What? What was that all about? He just left me here? What was with this? I was so confused. What did he want from me? Why stop me from pacing? I was thinking. Although… I suppose I could think right here. But I was just so restless. Laying here wasn't satisfying me. I was jittery for some reason. There was just so much to think about. Some things I didn't really want to go over again. I'd obsessed about them too much, but… my life was so messed up right now. What did I do to deserve this? I wanted Zack to come back. What was he even doing? Talking to Vincent? What could they be talking about? I just sighed and put my arms behind my head. Staring at the ceiling wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. Not for long anyway. It kinda helped me space out. It was so… bright. Even though there wasn't much light in here, the ceiling was so white. With a crack here and there in the pasty plaster. I was hardly doing anything but I was still so awake. And now I was bored. At least I wasn't jittery anymore. Auugggh. Where was Zack?

Still talking out in the hall?

"Pff!" I huffed. What was he doing? Was he just gonna ignore me now that he had me? Game over? Time to restart? Was he one of those guys who was only in it for the chase? No. What was I thinking? Zack wasn't like that. I mean he looked different, but he wasn't different. Of course I'd only met him a couple times before all of this. He'd had a bit of a softer appearance back then. Why had that changed? I heard him enter back into the room kinda quietly. Hmm… "Hey Zack?" I asked. He froze in his tracks as though I'd taken him by surprise. Must've broken his focus on something. Or maybe not. He was staring into my eyes for some reason. "Why did you change your hair?" I asked to make him stop. But now he was confused. "I liked you with bangs." I added to help lighten the confusion. It didn't work.

"What?" He asked. I watched him as he thought about what I'd said. He looked down at first, narrowed his eyes, then looked up and furrowed his eyebrows. Apparently the thought upset him.

"Just a thought." I said while sitting up and stretching. He still looked confused. "You looked like you were all worked up about something. You don't need to be. It was just a thought." I answered. "You looked gentler with bangs, that's all." But if he was going to get offended by the suggestion he didn't have to do anything.

"I scare you like this?" He asked gesturing to his head.

"No. You don't scare me like this…" I said thinking about it. He looked different from before, true. But he was fine looking like this. What with his long, spiky hair, and the one very pointy strand hanging down in front. Not to mention the 'X' shaped scar. He looked very pointy, but that wasn't bad. "I'm not scared."

"You're not scared." Zack said with a nod.

This conversation suddenly felt as though it was going to go nowhere. "Gyah! Forget it!" It was too hard to talk to him. I wasn't even trying to have a serious conversation and he **still** managed to mess it up. It wasn't as though it were his fault. It was my fault. He made me feel so… so… uh… to be honest I had no idea how he made me feel. This was all something new to me.

"You're the one who brought it up." He laughed as he sat down next to me. He needed to stop laughing. It didn't really make me feel good. This I could identify as embarrassment. Something he'd been making me feel a lot in the past few hours. "Just goes to show you that random thoughts can be very dangerous things." He said ruffling my hair. That felt funny. Why did that feel so familiar…?

* * *

"Cloud?!" Zack shouted while shaking me. Whoa! What just happened?!

"What?" I asked feeling a bit hazy. That was a trip. Where did I just go?! What the?! "Ohh…" I put a hand to my head. I still felt dizzy. What just happened? Something was on my shoulders… I shook whatever it was off without even looking and tried not to fall backwards. Must've been some weird blood pressure problem. Weird. I hadn't even stood up.

"You… but you… uh." Zack stammered. What was wrong with him? He just shook his head and shrugged it off. Good. He slowly raised his hand above my head. The whole while staring at me. I followed his hand up before it went above my head. He didn't look like he wanted me to move. But I soon felt it hovering just above my hair even though he wasn't even touching me. What was he doing? I couldn't follow anything he was doing. Not even when he poked one of my spikes. Why was he doing that? He wasn't saying anything at all. It was kinda freaking me out. I considered scurrying away but then his hand actually touched my head and he ruffled my hair. A bit cautiously at first, but then he started to do it harder. Almost too hard. Then he was just downright rough. Ouch! My scalp…

"Zack stop." I said grabbing onto his wrist. "It's starting to hurt." Yeow! Why did he do that? I think he apologized but I was too focused on my aching head. "What were you trying to do? Pull my hair out?" I put my hands on top of my head to prevent him from doing it again. That, and the slight pressure helped. Man that burned. "Zack?" I asked. He was blank. What was he thinking about? "Zack you're spacing again." I mumbled.

What happened next was something unexpected. He suddenly started getting very close to me. It wasn't bad or freaky because he was smiling as he did. He just wasn't saying anything. **That **was what made it uncomfortable. So I backed away; hoping he'd take the hint. Sadly, he did not. He just kept on coming closer and closer. And I kept on moving back further and further until there was nowhere left to go. Eventually I felt my back hit the head-board, but he was still moving. "What?" I asked; still trying to get him to stop, I slumped down onto the pillow and kept pushing back as far as I could. Why was he doing this all of the sudden? What was he gonna do? I couldn't think of anything except something that was gonna hurt. Did I make him angry?! "No, no, no, no, no…!" I shouted shaking my head. "I'm sorry." I had no idea what I did but I was sorry. Why was I so bad at this?! He was only trying to get close to me, I knew that. But… whenever he did this I had flashbacks! I couldn't help it.

"You don't have to be sorry." Zack said backing away and sitting back on the edge of the bed. Was he blaming **himself**?! No! He couldn't do that. It was me. This was my fault, my problem, no one else's. I couldn't let him blame himself.

"No. I do." I replied sitting up. "I know you're not _trying_ to do it but I can't help but feel wrong." Dammit! I was so wrong for this! I brought my knees up to my chest. This was such an awkward uncomfortable moment. I didn't want to say anymore but, "I…" Should I say it? "I don't like feeling trapped." I suppose I should explain. It wasn't a good feeling to know that you had no options left. "I don't like the feeling that goes along with it." I went on. "The feeling that there's no way out. The end of the line." Almost all my life I'd been pushed around and forced into the corner by people. I could never understand it but people just refused to accept my existence for whatever reason. So, naturally, I never felt safe when my back was against the wall. Usually when that happened I got abused… in one way or another. I _especially_ didn't like it when I was stuck on the flat of my back.

"It's okay." He sighed looking the opposite. Actually, he looked kinda frustrated if you asked me. It only made me feel worse.

"You're really okay?" I asked. Just to be sure.

"Yeah." Came the expected reply. Of course he wouldn't tell me. He was probably really upset. "Just know that I'm not trapping you." I **did** know that. It didn't help much. I had to find a way to beat these accursed flashbacks. All of them at the barracks hadn't even done that much. I hadn't been with Shinra for very long but every day was **hell**. "If you feel smothered, I'll let up. You've got to be comfortable in this too. I'm not only trying to take care of me." Hopefully not. If he was I wouldn't let him come near me. I would've avoided him actually.

"I know." I nodded. He didn't act like a selfish guy. And he didn't seem like the deceptive type either. If he had been I'd be really upset. But… how would I know if he was? If he was deceiving me right now he was really good at it. So I wouldn't know, right?

I felt him move across the bed so that he was sitting next to me. But he wasn't in such a position that he was practically pinning me down, like before. That was good. I felt okay with this. And he slowly put his arms around me, apparently he was being cautious. He didn't have to do that. I really liked it when he did that. He felt strong. Very strong. This was nice. I loved it. I kinda knew how I felt now, I loved him. Kozue was right. But I wasn't going to let him know that at the point when he'd asked. What would he do if I ever ran into him again? I really hoped I didn't. Well… I did. But I didn't want to see anything bad happen. And then there was the part of me that actually was a little curious about what Zack would do. Was I worrying for nothing? If I was, what would happen? "You're okay." I heard Zack whisper into my ear. He held me closer and started to rock back and forth. It felt so good that I unconsciously snuggled into his shoulder. All my previous thoughts just melted away. Whoa… wait! I didn't want to fall asleep. He'd have to talk to me. Zack, quick! Speak! "There's no pressure." Oh thank the planet. "I'll just have to warn you next time." Yes. Warning me was good.

"That might help…" I mumbled into his shoulder. I didn't really want to move right now.

"Alright." He answered.

* * *

We stayed like that for a while, chatting about things so that I wouldn't fall asleep and everything seemed so great. That is until my stomach made a funny a noise and churned unexpectedly. "Oh no!" I gasped pulling away from Zack and covering my mouth. He looked concerned, but shouldn't he know? This was very sudden and very unpleasant.

"Are you okay?" He asked. What kind of question was that?

I tried to answer but found myself unable to talk without burping. I had to keep my hand where it was and put the other on my stomach. Would he get it then?

"Did the potion wear off?" That kind of question allowed me to nod at least. "Oh. Hang on. I've got something better." He said reaching in his pocket for something. What was he gonna do? "Here ya' go." He said holding up an elixir. What?! More of that gunk?

"I don't want it." I mumbled.

"Cloud, please." He pouted. "You need to take something. I don't want you to suffer."

Didn't want me to suffer? Elixir was some strong stuff! I'd never taken it before. I had no idea how it would effect me. I stared at it questioningly. This was a bit of a decision. "No." I decided.

"C'mon." He begged.

I shook my head. I just couldn't. Even though I hated this sickness. I'd take another potion but nothing else. It wasn't in my comfort zone. "I'm sorry. I can't."

"Yes you can." He argued, still pouting. "It won't hurt you." I still had to refuse. "Don't be a child, Cloud." What was that supposed to mean? "You have to take something. This will only last longer than a potion." Well… I still didn't know. But if Zack was so sure it wasn't gonna hurt me… maybe I could give it a try? I tried reaching for it but something in the back of my mind made me pull my arm back. Zack looked disappointed. "Please?" Zack asked again. I didn't really respond. What could I say? I mean this was ridiculous. He was only trying to help me. And… now he uncapped it before holding it in front of me. I didn't swat it away. Nor did I take it. I just stared at it. "Come on, Cloud." He said in a joking tone. Then he brought it closer to my lips. "I'm going to give it to you." He warned. I didn't say or do anything in response. Obviously I wasn't going to let myself take it, so I'd try letting him give it to me again. When the vile came into contact with my mouth I drank it. Easily. "Better?" He asked.

"Better." Much better. And now for some reason my heart was racing. Zack had leaned in to give it to me. His face was so close to mine. I felt myself become red in the face so fast it made me feel dizzy. And the feeling only got worse when he leaned in closer. Our noses were practically touching. And he was still getting closer. I felt so flustered. What was I supposed to do? His lips were ghosting over mine and then-

"Is everything okay in here?" Someone asked from the door.

"Ah! Nothing!" I gasped.

Zack instantly backed away and turned to look at whoever had just barged in. I looked past him expecting to see Vincent. But… it wasn't just Vincent. Tifa was there too!

* * *

**(A/N)** Yeah… This took a while to come out so I added a little bonus thingy at the end. And sorry about the moment being ruined at the end but there is a schedule and Zack has to wait. I know that was really evil but I was going for kinda funny. But mostly evil. So I think I got what I was going for. I'm sorry again. I know I wanted to get this one out earlier than the last one but what can I do about viruses? I've realized I've been getting these out slower and slower but I don't intend to stop. So… please don't give up on me. I'm not dead.


	19. Zack Lost Count

**(A/N) **Chapter NINETEEN! So I guess I'm going to take a friend's advice and change things up a little. The story will progress faster if I do things this way, and it isn't even much of a change. The points of view still alternate but it won't be the same content unless something is really important. So… basically no more Cloud recaps. Which I'm sure is a good thing. Even I was getting sick of writing it.

I didn't really reread it as many times as I do to check for mistakes and such, I just wanted to upload it, so there are bound to be plenty of mistakes but I think it's more or less legible.

I strode through the halls avoiding the others. The other night was embarrassing, but only because Cloud had acted like we were doing something wrong. It _was_ pretty bad when they'd just walked in on us. Hadn't they ever heard of knocking? But now I was certain that Tifa saw me as an enemy. She was acting like I was forcing him into this. And it was really annoying to be treated like a rapist when you hadn't done anything. She had been coming up with any excuse to keep us separated all morning. Cid didn't seem to mind and Vincent was acting like Vincent for the most part. I hadn't even been able to talk to Cloud yet. This was just perfect. I really needed to get out and get some air but we were currently flying. I was stuck in the ship. Although if we weren't, and with the way Tifa was acting, she'd probably act like an overprotective parent and run off to a remote area with Cloud in tow.

"This is crazy." I mumbled. I wasn't the bad guy. Quite the opposite. And all I could do was hope that Cloud was trying to tell her that. Not that she appeared to be listening. The weirdest part was that, according to Vincent, this was totally out of her character. I just couldn't understand what it was about me that set her off like this. Once she had taken over for Vincent last night she wouldn't let inside Cloud's room. She kept on saying he was 'too upset to talk to anyone right now.' Whatever that meant. Besides, when I'd left he wasn't upset. Flustered maybe. But it didn't ever take much to get him flustered. "I hope he's okay."

"_He's fine."_ I could've sworn I heard Angeal say. But there was nothing else after that. So I couldn't be sure if it was my imagination or not.

"Zack!" I heard a small voice shout before bumping into me.

"Cloud?" I asked. It could only be him. He was the youngest one on the ship after all. "What are you doing? Where's Tifa?" I didn't see her anywhere nearby. Cloud rubbed his forehead before shrugging. I guess he didn't mean to run into me.

"I dunno. I walked away while she was talking to the others."

"She's going to come looking for you." I said leading him down a hall so it would at least be harder for her. At least Cloud had come to find me.

"I hope she doesn't bother. It's really weird hanging around her. I know we're friends and all but she seems different. Almost like she's too motherly or something."

"Uhh…" She kind of was his mother now.

"Besides, it was torture when she was watching me last night. She wouldn't let me leave and she wouldn't come in the room. She expected me to entertain myself or sleep. And I wasn't tired." He sighed. "And she won't listen to me. I keep on trying to tell her nothing happened but…" He trailed off.

"It goes in one ear and out the other?" I asked.

"Yeah." Came another sigh. "I figured I should just sneak away while she wasn't looking. I don't really want to hurt her feelings but I just couldn't think of anything else to do." He said running his hands through his hair. "She practically has me handcuffed to her!"

I put my hands up when he shouted. That wasn't a good idea. "Shh. She'll hear you." I said placing my hands on his shoulders. "She's just trying to protect you."

"I know. You all are. But sometimes they just go too far."

"What? What do you mean?" The others were going too far? Did he just mean the belt?

"They never really do it." He answered. "But sometimes they talk about things that could be taken as extreme measures. Like keeping me in my room. Things that you do with a prisoner, not someone you're trying to protect. It really scared me."

"But they were only **saying** it, right?" I asked. Something like locking him in his room all day and night did sound extreme. He nodded. "Of course that doesn't make it okay. Scaring you? When you're already stressed? That's awful."

"Maybe it would be if it wasn't so easy." Cloud said looking down.

True, scaring Cloud wasn't a great feat. Was he stressed all the time? Because he was very touchy anyway. Of course he was bullied quite a bit. And he came from a town that denied his existence. But enough of the recap. "It's still bad. Did they at least apologize?" Another nod. "Good." Not that I could do anything about it. They didn't really like me very much. That's how it felt anyway. There was some animosity between us. It was like they were protecting Cloud from **me** as well. I really had to consider confronting them about it. Perhaps I'd use diagrams. The imagery was bit funny but Cloud didn't really like it when I laughed.

"Don't laugh!" He said punching me in the arm.

"Ouch! That hurt."

"No it didn't."

"You're right… it didn't." Damn! I thought he would fall for that. Hopefully he didn't just hit me as hard as he could. And if he did, I really hoped I was simply able to take a punch.

"Why am I so weak?" He asked sounding depressed.

"You're not. It's just a bad time to make that comparison. We've all had training and… stuff."

"But I couldn't even fight a group of drunken idiots." He sighed.

"That's nothing to feel bad about…" I was trying to make him feel better but I couldn't really think of what to say. Sure, if they were wasted they were idiots but I think that also meant they couldn't handle themselves in a fight. Alcohol wasn't steroids after all. But I suppose it might change the way one reacts to pain. Although… "Sometimes people fight better when they're drunk."

"Zack." He replied with a deadpan look. "This is the real world. **Not **a tournament style fighting anime."

"What?"

"Just tell it to me straight. I'm a wimp. And I know it. You can't convince me otherwise. Implying that everyone else is just too strong is… nice… but ridiculous." He said folding his arms.

Ridiculous? My trying to be nice was ridiculous? Well maybe. But, "Does it really matter? As-"

"Yes."

"Hey! Let me finish." He looked a little indignant but didn't say any more. "As long as you're willing to change it no one will think any less of you."

"It will take a lot." He answered.

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do." He argued. "I had months of training before this and I'm still practically at square one. I'm a weakling." He shrugged. "I've more or less made peace with it."

"No!" He couldn't just give up. "I'm saying that when we land I'm going to train you. It won't be too hard and after you'll be able to beat up Loz and Yazoo."

"But I don't wanna beat up Loz."

"Why wouldn't you…? Well… you wouldn't want to start any fights. I'm not training you to be a troublemaker. It would be self defense. You need it." I answered.

"Okay… If you say so. Quick question though, what if I don't see those two again?"

"Cloud. You're **going** to see them again." I answered. There was no question about that. Sephiroth probably had them out doing something idiotic. But it was, without a doubt, something to get him closer to finding Cloud. And we weren't really planning any counter strategies. What were we doing right now? Planning a surprise birthday party. Yikes. "But we got this."

"We've got this?" Cloud asked. Oh! Confusion was so adorable.

I had been so close to kissing him last night. But I got the feeling that if I'd tried again someone would've interrupted just like last time. I was cursed or something. I settled for a hug instead. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I said squeezing him.

"Don't squeeze!" He groaned with a great amount of urgency.

"Sorry…" Curse my strength. "Did I hurt you?"

"No. But you should really let go."

"Huh?" I thought I already had. He took a deep breath when I finally did. "It sounds like I hurt you."

"You didn't." He answered. His voice suggested he was getting ever-so-slightly defensive. That meant I **did** hurt him a little. Dang, now I felt like a jerk. It's not as though I could've forgotten how to handle Cloud. I'd never been around him when he was able to handle what must've felt like a bear hug.

"Cloud?" We both tensed up when we heard the female voice.

"It's Tifa." Cloud gasped.

"Shh!" I answered. I led him down the hall and took the first turn I saw. Tifa sounded like she was just coming down the hall where we had just been talking. And she was still headed our way! I searched around for a place to hide and decided it was best to just go through the first door I saw. Needless to say I made sure I did so quietly and that Cloud had stayed with me. Once I'd made sure he was inside the room with me I had the time to note that it was a closet. How typical. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers. The strangest part was that this particular closet was full of baskets or something.

"Oh geez…" Cloud sighed slumping down.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just don't like these baskets." He answered glaring at the inanimate objects.

I considered pestering him about it but I couldn't. Tifa was too close to the closet. The one thing I **did** do was turn the lock at the base of the doorknob. That way she'd think we wouldn't be able to get in to hide here in the first place. The blonde moved closer and I held onto him as we sat and watched the doorknob jiggle. Cloud was holding his breath, it was a good idea. If she heard us in here she'd probably just knock the door down.

She lingered around the door for quite a bit and walked away slowly. I really wished she hadn't. Cloud needed to breathe. Would I have to teach him how to be quiet without killing himself as well as everything else? Hopefully he'd work on that himself.

"Well!" I said once she was far away. "Whaddya say we just stay here?"

"Why would you wanna do that?" He asked. "It's a stuffy closet."

Was he really _that_ out of touch? "You obviously make out in closets."

"Wh-What?" He blushed. He sounded really surprised. How could that be? Everyone knew this. Even though he did what I'd wanted. His blush was so bright it was practically glowing. "Not here." He said quickly. "It's too cramped."

"Alright…" I was a little confused by the statement. Did he just mean 'no' or was he willing to make out later at a different point in time and location? He also seemed to have missed that it was only intended as a joke. But joke or not, with that off the table, there wasn't much to do in the closet. Any child would want to see what was in each basket. It definitely would've been something to do… except that I was relatively certain Cloud wouldn't go for it. He appeared to hate said baskets. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Not really. There's too much happening right now for me to even think straight." He said tentatively resting his head on my shoulder. "And most people would only be obsessing with the discovering that they were… uh… well it explains why I could only ever think of Tifa as a sibling. But no. I also have to have a psycho wanting me dead for inexplicable reasons."

I couldn't really do much more than listen and nod at the appropriate times. To him the reasons were nothing more than unjustified. And I had to suppose it was natural to assume that if someone was out to get you, then they wanted you dead. But there really wasn't any way I could tell him that Sephiroth didn't necessarily want to kill him without telling him too much. There was also the fact that the reasons technically weren't random. Sephiroth did have a score to settle with Cloud. But that only led to the problem at the center of it all. Cloud didn't remember what he'd done and hadn't really even done it yet. Therefore, it was completely crazy to want to punish him for it. He couldn't give him any sort of apology and have it mean anything. Not that he was after an apology. He was just a sadistic bastard.

"Are you aware of just how crazy all of this has been?" He asked. "I can't make any sense of it. No one can ever tell me what I did to deserve this guy's hatred. I only know that he's persistent."

"He appears to be." I nodded. There was really no way to stop him. "Do you think we can keep this up? Just keep on running?"

"Honestly?" Cloud asked looking grim. "No. I don't think so."

"I guess that just means we need to figure out a way to fight him then."

"Who is **he**?"

"I don't know." I answered, trying my best to sound convincing. If Cloud knew he'd probably give up. It was way too risky to tell him.

"Uh-huh. So you're going to switch your 'I dunno' instead of 'I can't say'? Just to shake things up I suppose. I should just stop asking questions."

"Cloud, please don't get mad. I don't want to argue."

"Can I trust you?"

"Cloud, please. I assure you that you can trust me." I held him closer. "I would never hurt you." That appeared to make him relax a bit. He was so cute. I could've held him for hours if I thought he could stay still for that long. However, that went against our track record. Something always came up.

In fact, I could hear that there was something going on outside in the hall. As for what it was, I had no clue. I'd have to open the door and walk out to hear it and be able to understand it. Maybe that was exactly what they wanted. Perhaps Tifa was trying to lure us out of hiding? Or was I just being paranoid? There was only one way to find out but it was just such a gamble. I almost didn't want to try. Oh well…

"What's that?" I asked before unlocking the door. Cloud looked concerned, probably about the same thing I was. But I continued on with opening the door. Taking a cautious first look, I couldn't see anyone but heard the disrupting noise much more clearly.

"I say again…" We both heard Cid over the intercom. "Zack and Cloud, wherever the hell you two are, we're about to land. So get your asses up here so we can make sure no one else goes falling out!"

"We're landing?" Cloud hopped up and almost skipped out into the hall. Apparently he'd chosen to ignore Cid's little knock on his unfortunate accident. "Solid ground! No more getting sick!" He started to jump with joy. "Yes!"

"Hurray!" The cheer was half-hearted but I wanted to join in on the fun. I would be able to ignore any possible down sides to the situation after moments of watching him. Seeing him so happy made me happy. It was as simple as that. His smile lifted the darkness from my heart. He made me feel invincible. I could do anything as long as he kept smiling. Of course that was stupid but it was how I felt.

The bridge wasn't crowded as usual. Jus the five of us as it had been through this whole trip. I noticed Tifa was staring. She must not have had the heart to tear us apart when she saw how happy Cloud was. That wasn't really making him like her anyway. It was like overly controlling parents; try your damnedest to keep the children in line but unnecessary force causes resentment and nothing more.

"Where ya' been?" Cid asked.

"Around." I answered. Cloud had walked right up close to the windows. It was making me nervous.

"Oh… That was a mistake." He groaned before falling backwards.

"Ha!" Cid laughed. "Forgot that heights make you ill, Cloud?"

"Don't laugh!" Tifa snapped. I was glad someone did, the planet knew I was too afraid to talk back to Cid. Loud noises really got to me and his volume was stuck on high.

"Whatever, Mother Hen." The older man brushed it off. "We'll begin to descend soon so someone oughta find Cloud a seat and strap him in. First time flyers aren't very steady on their feet when it comes to landing. I suggest the rest of y'all do the same."

"I'm fine standing." Tifa sighed.

"Hmm." Vincent added. I was going out on a limb here but if I had to guess I'd say Vincent just agreed. And if those two were fine I knew I'd be.

"It's okay." I spoke up as I walked toward the window. "I'll hold him."

"I'm sure you will." Cid muttered.

Once again, Tifa took care of it with a quick smack to the back of the head. Cid was really turning out to be a bully. What was I supposed to do about that? I mean, I was more than capable of handling a bully but I just couldn't. It'd be too easy to hurt someone. Of course if he continued to pick on Cloud I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

"You okay?" I asked the young blonde, gathering him into my arms.

"I think so… I just didn't think we'd be up so high…"

"We're on an airship, Cloud. What exactly did you expect?" I hugged him. And not a moment too soon. The ship gave a shudder before it began to sink out of the sky.

"Did anyone contact Yuffie?" Cid grumbled.

"I did." Vincent nodded.

"Did you bring her up to speed?"

There was no answer. I didn't look back to see if Vincent was giving any sign as to what he did. He obviously wasn't. Emotion was out of his reach it seemed. Although he did surprise me sometimes. He must've neglected to inform this Yuffie of the current situation. Poor Cloud. He'd have to put up with being stared at by another person who he, to his knowledge, didn't even know. Must be harder than any one of us could imagine. It made me sad whenever he talked about it. Suddenly surrounded by people claiming to be his friends, people he's never met, the one he knows has aged overnight, and, for some reason, he noticed that I grew out my hair… It wasn't too weird. He'd told me in our previous, not rewound, relationship that he'd watched me in the halls a few times. It made me so happy. My sweet little Cloud had admired me from afar. Too shy to speak to me but wishing I'd notice him.

"Zack…"

"Hmm?"

"Is the room supposed to be spinning?"

"Ohh…No." The question was one that could be considered very ridiculous, obviously rooms don't spin, but no one was ever really looking for an answer. "Have you tried closing your eyes?"

"Yeah, close your eyes. It won't be long now." Cid sighed.

He was right. It was only a few minutes before the ship landed. Finally we'd touched down and arrived at our destination. I'd had my doubts on whether or not we would make it. There were some detours, not to mention Cloud came very close to being captured on numerous occasions. That would've been awful. We hadn't yet located Sephiroth's lair. I'd like to think he wouldn't be predictable and set up camp in an obvious place but arrogance made people do stupid things. Considering that Sephiroth was so arrogant he thought he was a god… he's in the Northern Crater.

"Feel any better?" I asked. "We're back on solid ground."

"Umm… That's nice to know but no. It's going to take a minute."

"Alright." I answered nuzzling into his hair. "Take as long as you need."

"Zack." Tifa walked over and whispered. "Why don't you go take a quick look outside while I take care of Cloud? We wouldn't want to be ambushed by the remnants."

"Nooo… I guess that would be bad." I answered. My arms were still around the blonde and I really didn't want to let go. This felt like a ploy for separation. It felt like if I let him go I wouldn't see him again for hours. That was something I wanted to avoid.

Her eyebrows furrowed. She must've noticed that I suspected something. "Just a quick peek. You can even take Vincent with you."

"How does Vincent feel about that?" I couldn't imagine he liked being volunteered for things like this. Although it seemed like if he wasn't volunteered for the job he'd never do anything. But he did help them. I'd seen it. He doesn't ever offer to do anything he just does it. So, since Vincent didn't sound like he was going to answer my question, I felt the need to come up with something else to complain about. "Why me?" I couldn't think of any reason why she couldn't go.

"Because-"

"Just get goin'!" Cid shouted. "The longer we sit here with the two of you arguing the more of a chance those freaks have of finding us!"

Vincent left the bridge before I did. I let out a long sigh before releasing Cloud and leaving myself. I found the gunman waiting by the door. He looked the same as he always did and it was unnerving as usual. My eyes settled on the gun at his side and felt a frown coming. It was only a moment before he noticed.

"What is it, Zack?"

"Huh?" That caught me off guard.

"You look tense. Are you alright?"

"Uh…" I didn't know if I could answer, my eyes wouldn't look away from the firearm. For a moment I felt like there was pain coming from all over, the warm blood trailing down my skin, I remembered where I'd found Cloud in North Corel; the splashes of crimson all over the ground, the bullets… I blinked and Vincent disappeared. I was on the ground back in the Wasteland with a Shinra infantryman standing over me, my body numb and my breathing shallow. My vision would blur whenever I blinked but I could see that he was pointing a gun at me. His finger hovering over the trigger, emotionless.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and everything melted away. I was still standing on the airship with Vincent. Quickly, I shook off that memory and looked him in the eye.

"Are you alright?" He repeated.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. I just noticed I don't have a weapon." I laughed, scratching the back of my head. "I'll just have to make do…" I knew I could probably go take one of Cloud's swords but it just didn't feel right. What if he remembered it when all of this was over? Something told me he probably wouldn't mind but I just didn't want to risk losing it, or breaking it, or any other horrible thing that could happen.

With only a quick nod, Vincent opened to hatch and stepped out. He didn't look like he was paying attention to his surroundings. He just looked like he was strolling out into the open. I took a quick look before leaving the safety of the ship. There didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. There were only the sounds of the occasional bird. The air was fresh and clear of any toxin as far as I could tell. And I was pretty sure we didn't have to worry about any Wutai troops attacking us. Certainly wouldn't have to look out for any crazy monster meant to destroy SOLDIER operatives either… or at least I hoped they didn't have those anymore.

I wasn't too sure what Vincent wanted me to do. Did he want me to stay close to the ship or did he want us to split up and cover more ground? If I left and the ship was attacked could Cid and Tifa handle it? Then again if the two of us got far enough away they could be in trouble and we'd never know it. Although it was highly unlikely that the remnants were here. They couldn't fly, I wasn't too sure if they could find any transport over the sea and, if what Cloud said was true, then Yazoo may be injured. But there was Kadaj… We had yet to see Kadaj. That was a problem. He could be anywhere.

I saw Vincent stop and get ready to pull out his gun. He must've heard something. I rushed over and looked at the brush he was staring into. He was right to be shocked, it moved. Vincent took out his gun and aimed it at the bush while I couldn't do anything more than wait. The bush rustled a few more times before something leapt out of it. Vincent put his finger on the trigger and I raised my fists, both of us waiting to see this thing. It had jumped up into the sun so neither of us could see it clearly but then it landed right in front of us.

It was a young woman with short black hair, she looked familiar but…

"Enemies beware, for you have elected the aid of Wutai's greatest warrior! The flower that fights for all that is good, and the conqueror of all evils… Yuffie Kisaragi! At your service!"

Vincent made a sound that was almost a groan and lowered his weapon. That meant she was an ally. Yeah… she said her name was Yuffie, Cid mentioned her… Wait a second! The hair, the eyes, the ridiculous speeches! Yuffie! She-She couldn't be!

"Gah!" I gasped pointing. "It's YOU!"

"Huh?" She looked up and stared before her own jaw dropped. "ACK! YOU!" She pointed as well.

"You know each other?" Vincent asked.

"Of course I do!" I answered. "I'd never forget **her**! She tried to steal from me numerous times! And then she stole from me!"

"It's not my fault you fell for it!" She shouted.

"You had me going all over creation, fighting monsters for you, and digging up treasure all so you could steal it from me!"

"Like I said, _you_ kept falling for it! Not my fault."

"I didn't fall for it! I only did it because whenever I refused you cried!"

"Well… I… what are you doing here and why do you look the same as you did twelve years ago? Cloud said you were-"

"Yuffie…" Vincent interrupted. "The both of you. This isn't the right time for arguments."

"Right!" Yuffie answered. "Where's everyone else? On the ship?" She pushed past the two of us and started walking towards it.

"Yes, but Tifa asked the two of us to survey the area." Vincent replied, following her.

"I've been waiting for you here for a while and I haven't seen anyone or anything. Isn't Cloud with you? Why didn't he come out and check rather than zombie-boy over there?"

"Hey!" I scowled. "I am not a zombie…" I muttered. "Anyway, it's complicated. But it all comes down to this: he just didn't feel up to it?"

"What is he? Sick?" She asked.

"In a fashion." Vincent sighed. He went back into the ship to get the others and nonverbally told me to stay put.

"He's also literally sick." I added.

"What's he got? Is it contagious?"

"Noooo… just a bad case of motion sickness."

"Motion sickness? I thought I was the only one who got that?" Yuffie laughed. "When did he get so sensitive? And here I thought there was something going on."

"There is." Vincent answered coming back out. "Too much to mention in an e-mail."

"What's up? Sephiroth back or something?" She asked as a joke.

"Yeah." I answered.

She stared for a moment before laughing so hard she fell over. "Good one!"

"I'm serious." I said folding my arms. "He's back and he's hunting down Cloud. There's nothing funny about it."

"You're really not joking?" She asked.

"I wish he were." Cid sighed. "Tifa, hurry up!"

"I'm coming." She said rushing out. I couldn't help but notice she was alone. What had she done? Where did she hide him?

"Where's the miniature pain?" Cid grumbled.

"He forgot something in his room." She shrugged. "He said he'd be right out."

"What is going on here?" Yuffie shouted. "I feel so out of the loop! When did all of _this_ start happening? Since when is that SOLDIER operative back? I don't get it!"

None of us really knew what to say, there was just too much. No one knew where to begin. Sephiroth was back, but he wasn't up to his usual plots. No, this time his focus appeared to be solely on revenge if anything. And he was dangerously close to succeeding this time. We all understood it just fine but we'd all been following this from the start. I'd probably be the one expected to explain all of it, it was my fault after all but… it was all so complicated. Besides, she'd need to see Cloud first before it would make any sense. Let alone believe any of it.

There was a moment of awkward silence when the spiky blonde exited the ship. He came out holding the baby chocobo and muttering something to it as he went. It looked like he hadn't yet noticed that everyone was staring at him.

My eyes turned to Yuffie to find that she was looking on with a sense of confusion. And once that was gone her jaw dropped. Hopefully that meant she understood. This wasn't something to be taken lightly. However, my hopes were dashed when she displayed a very childish reaction. Cloud barely looked up before she ran up and jumped at him. Overall, it was difficult to see exactly just what happened. Yuffie jumped, Orion squawked and all but flew away, and then the two of them were on the ground.

"Cloud!" She squealed. "You… You've gotten shorter."

"I what?" He gasped.

"Okay!" I shouted, clapping my hands together. It was never a good idea to tell Cloud he was short, let alone tell him he had gotten shorter. He was very _uneasy_ about his height. Anyway, "That's enough of that. Perhaps you can get someone to fill in the blanks for you but now it would be great to **not** tackle Cloud." Poor kid, getting tackled by people he didn't even know… well… the same weird situation that applied to everyone he'd encountered thus far.

"But why is Cloud so-"

"Cute? He was born that way." I interrupted before passing her off to Tifa. "You alright Cloud?"

"Who was that?" He asked. "She scared Orion away."

"She's a friend."

"Your friend?"

"Nooo." It wasn't that I didn't like her or anything we just had a strange past. It was actually very surprising that she remembered me so well. Of course she **did** keep me coming back practically every day. What was that all about? Did she think I was easy to fool? She couldn't have. I was never fooled. She was very easy to figure out, she just kept on crying and it was awkward.

"Am I really shorter?"

"What? No. No, you're not short. You're perfect."

"Zack, don't be corny." He sighed before picking himself up. "You've gotten so tall."

"I'm older than you."

"Not by much."

"But enough for me to have a growth spurt." Geez. I was really good at lying.

He looked at me a bit skeptically but accepted it. He'd been having to do that a lot lately and said he was used to it. But out all the lies I'd told him this was more believable. It was also about something that he shouldn't be concerning himself with. His height was great. Why in the name of the planet did he want to be tall? Being tall was a hassle. People could find you wherever you went, certain rooms were very crampt, all the 'how's the weather up there' jokes… They always did it to me. And I wasn't even the tallest guy. Of course it did seem like a really dumb idea to tell Sephiroth a joke back then and forget about doing it now.

I blinked when I noticed Cloud had started walking away. Was he angry? I didn't know what I would do if he was angry. What was I supposed to do? Tell him the truth? I couldn't. He couldn't handle it. It probably wasn't even necessary. He'd understand once I changed him back.

"But..." I wasn't so sure I wanted to change him back. Things had gotten way too complicated. I'd set out to change him back but then there was the question of what would happen to _this_ Cloud. Were they different or did I have to concern myself with this? I just couldn't figure it out on my own. Of course if I didn't change him back, what did that mean for the older Cloud? Was he dead if I didn't get him back to normal? Why hadn't I thought about this before now?

"Hey Cloud, where are you going?" I asked, catching up with him. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yes."

"You're not upset?"

"No." He shook his head. "I just need to go ask Vincent to uh… help me out with something."

Help him out with something? What did he mean by that? I couldn't remember if there was anything specific he couldn't just ask me for. Not that I was possessive or anything. He was allowed to talk to other people. I'd just been separated from him up until now and was trying my hardest to make up for lost time. I hadn't even thought about how I had to go back after all of this was over! What was I supposed to do about that?

I really hated time limits. They never failed at adding pressure to any already stressful day.

"Zack!" Tifa called. "Come over here and help me with Yuffie."

Oh boy. Here we go, recaps a plenty. I didn't want to talk to Yuffie I wanted to stay with Cloud. But it was necessary to bring her up to speed while he was gone. Even though I didn't know the entire story. Cloud would love for me to just drop it but I wanted to meet the man who'd saved him. Was he a friend or a double agent working for Sephiroth? He kept his true identity a secret from him, what was his motivation for that?

"Zack!" She called again.

No more time to think about that I suppose. I strode over and followed them as they walked to the clearing on the other side of the ship.

"So what exactly is going on?" Yuffie asked again.

"Well…" I wasn't so sure how all of this was going to sound but I had Tifa to back me up. For whatever reason they'd all taken it a face value. Probably because I, Cloud's dead boyfriend, was the one telling it. But Yuffie wasn't appearing to be very open minded to it all. "You see," I had try, "I kinda… accidently turned Cloud into a child. Well, not a child. He's fourteenish. He'll be fifteen tomorrow. But that's not the point I guess. The thing is he's very vulnerable right now and at the same time that the Ancients sent me to fix this Sephiroth escaped. He found me and told me he wasn't out for blood but… It's Sephiroth and he's not to be trusted, right? So we brought Cloud here to hide him and all but not without a lot of trouble along the way mind you. Those remnants are also back working as Sephiroth's cronies. Cloud said Yazoo was injured by some guy he met when he got separated from us. And we really don't have to worry about Loz but we haven't encountered Kadaj."

"You're not serious…" She sighed. "More work for us?"

"It's not work." I argued. "You're protecting a friend! How is that work?"

"Is Cloud aware of all of this?" She gasped.

"No, not really." I answered. "He's aware that someone's after him but that's about it. He doesn't know that he's been altered or that the enemy is Sephiroth. He thinks everything is back the way it was twelve years ago. So that means he thinks Sephiroth is the General is Shinra's armies and that he's a cadet training to be in said army."

"So he's not a sword fighting, butt kicking, would-be-SOLDIER guy anymore?"

"No." Tifa said shaking her head. "He's as he was all those years ago."

"So we've got a lot to worry about then?" Yuffie sighed and stretched. "Those three royal pains and the big baddy controlling them…" She stared at the ground with a contemplating look.

"Vincent said that Rufus and the Turks are also ready to help in any way they can." Tifa added.

"And asking me for help tipped the scales in your favor!" She exclaimed. "We can handle this! Sephiroth can send an army if he wants, he'll never win!"

I couldn't help but smile at that. Positivity was flowing off of the kunoichi like waves. We could. We really could do this if we all worked together. Nothing was lost yet. We had allies all over and he had his three _brothers_. They were outnumbered and outmatched!

~Extra Sephiroth P.O.V.~

I could feel a slight tick coming on when Loz brought Yazoo's mangled form before me. Genesis had done a real number on him and not only that but he'd rejected my offer!

Loz shrunk back into the far corner of the room when I approached them. It amazed me that Yazoo was still alive after all the damage he'd taken. Loz had definitely taken the time to stop the bleeding and patch him up a bit before returning to me. If he hadn't Yazoo wouldn't have made it back with him I suppose. I glanced at him but he didn't make eye contact, he sometimes surprised me by showing trace amounts of thought and lower-level intelligence.

"You got what you deserved." I sighed. And he was lucky he had. If he'd gotten away with such an idiotic act I would've administered his punishment. "Tell me Yazoo, just what were you thinking?"

He didn't answer.

"Did you honestly believe that no harm would come of shooting Cloud?"

"I didn't shoot him."

"It doesn't matter if you actually hit him or not!" I snapped. "You were trying to harm him! You wanted to shoot him and you tried to! That is why I had second thoughts about saving you!" I raised my foot and brought it down hard on his ribs.

Yazoo lurched before starting to wheeze and cough.

"What did you think I would do if you'd killed him?"

"I wasn't thinking."

"You weren't? And all this time I thought Loz was the dumb one." I knew all too well that Loz **was** the dumb one. He'd gotten his own punishment for giving Cloud the virus instead of the tranquilizer.

"He made me angry. I didn't realize what I was doing."

"Stop making excuses for yourself. You knew what you were doing." I sighed. He'd also done quite a bit of lying when it came to my orders, but I could overlook that. It was an attempt to discourage and such. But none if it stopped Genesis. He'd shot the man! And it didn't do him any good. "You fired on Cloud four times. The first three were in anger but by the fourth I'm fairly certain you'd come to your senses."

"It was a ploy…"

"It was a gamble." I said correctively. "You had **no** way of knowing whether or not Genesis would take the bait. And I ask you again, what would you have done if he hadn't?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know." I repeated. "Did I instruct you to do anything like that?"

"I wasn't trying to kill him."

"And yet you could've. So why take the risk?"

"It was stupid… I'm sorry."

Sorry? Yes, he did sound genuinely apologetic. It didn't make it alright but I was willing to accept it. "Very well." I sighed, tossing Loz a cure materia. "My chance of success is much higher if I have you all on my side. I guess I can't let any of you die just yet."

"Thank you, Nii-San." He said once Loz was finished healing him. "Do you want us to return to our assignment?"

"No."

"No?" Loz asked.

"There's going to be a slight change in our next move." I answered. "You all are such idiots, you've forced my hand." I grabbed Masamune and headed toward the door. "I realize now that I can't trust the two of you with something like this. I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

**(A/N)** I know it's a shorter chapter but now things are finally getting into motion. I was originally going to put this in another tiny recap chapter but it wasn't exactly necessary. So I just tacked it on to the bottom of this. So sorry this took so long. I got really distracted by a lot of things and now I don't know if I can promise to get the next chapter out sooner. All I can say is that I'll definitely make the effort to write more often. I pretty much to a break to draw and such, completely forgot how much fun I have writing this, and you know the rest… I've just got so many other projects that need to be worked on. And I don't mean school projects either. I just like to come up with A LOT stories and share them. But I suppose I should really be concerning myself with finishing this… or at least getting it to a point where Sephiroth is a more important character. **There will probably be a Genesis Point of View at the end of the next one.**


	20. Cloud Doesn't See A Pattern

**(A/N)** Now this won't just be Cloud's take on what just happened. Instead the story will progress but from his point of view. (That was really just a note for me though)

I also need to correct something in the last note; my friend wasn't the only one who suggested the change. It was also… *looking for it* Hmm… Interstella! Thank you for the suggestion you guys! For some reason it really didn't occur to me to do it this way but it's already working out so much better than before! So, again, thank you!

I didn't know what to make of any of this. We'd landed in Wutai of all places. I thought this was a hostile area or something but the people paid us no mind, no one but that strange Yuffie girl anyway. She was someone else who everyone seemed to expect me to know. I had no idea who she was. But she seemed to know me. It was creepy.

For the time being I'd been left with Vincent while the others were off whispering about something. Was it really so bad to let me in on things? Anything, anything at all. They were all treating me like a damsel in distress. Which I had to admit I kinda was. But I didn't have to be that way. If I could get my hands on a weapon of some sort or if Zack kept his word about training me I think I'd be able to defend myself. I wasn't so bold as to think a little training would fix everything and this guy, whoever he was, wouldn't be able to hurt me. I wasn't even so confident as to think I could fight Yazoo on my own. But I'd be able to hold my own against any other potential distractions.

Maybe I wouldn't attract so much attention if I wasn't stuck in the stupid outfit!

But that was something I'd have to get over I suppose. I'd told Zack that I hated it, he didn't exactly agree with me… but he didn't seem to like the belt either. Not that he could do anything about it. He had no idea how to get the dumb thing off! And pleading with Vincent did nothing. I couldn't be sure of what his motives were for keeping it on but he was persistent about it.

I didn't know how I felt about Vincent. He wasn't as scary as I thought he was but he didn't go out of his way to make himself seem friendly either. He was _nice_ but cold and unapproachable. I could try and start a conversation but he wasn't good at maintaining it. It always turned into an awkward situation that made me feel like I was talking to myself… Or at the very least I felt as though I were annoying him with my rambling. So having him watching me always led to boredom. What was I supposed to do? Sleep like Orion? I wasn't tired.

It made me wonder though. What had to happen to make someone so glum? Vincent seemed very… defeated. As though life had gotten him down so many times that he'd stopped trying to get up at some point along the line. And at times he acted as though he'd found the strength to go on.

I guess it really wasn't any of my business. His past must be something he'd like to forget. Who was I to make him think about it?

But when I wasn't trying to figure out the enigma that was Vincent, I was stuck on this outfit. I really needed to change. Just because I was a guy didn't mean I didn't care about cleanliness. I'd been wearing it for days and hadn't had the chance to bathe during that time! I felt gross. How could they just let me stay like that? It was torture! Not only for me but it had to be affecting them too. I could only imagine what foul thing I smelled like. It was awful! But maybe Vincent wasn't the one I should be complaining to. Whenever it came to things like this Tifa seemed to be the one calling the shots. Should I be whining to her? I don't know if I could do that.

"Hey Cloud!" Zack said as he approached with the usual stride.

"What did they say?" Vincent asked.

"Tifa wants to talk to you herself, I'll watch Cloud."

The gunman nodded before heading back towards the ship.

"Are you going to train me now?" I really hoped so. I was sick of causing so much trouble. All of these people were trying to help me and I could've sworn I'd never met them before.

"Not just yet." He answered taking my arm and leading me out of view. "First I've got something I know you're gonna like!"

"What?"

"Close your eyes."

"Is that really necessary?"

"Yes." He said putting my hands over my eyes.

"Fine." I sighed. Zack wasn't mean. He wouldn't trick me like the other cadets did. I still couldn't help but feel a certain dread though. I'd been fooled so many times in so many cruel ways. And all in such a short amount of time. But a moment passed and nothing happened. I just felt something around my waist fall away. "Huh?"

"Ta-Dah!" Zack sang while waving his hands.

"What did you…?" I looked down only to find the accursed belt on the ground. "You found out how to get it off?"

"Nah, I didn't. I just knew you were miserable so I cut it off."

"Did they say that was okay?"

"Nope. But they're having some trouble thinking about how you feel. You and I know that they're just trying to consider your safety, yes?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want you to start thinking that they all don't care about you."

"I know." I didn't know exactly why they all cared so much but I could tell they weren't faking their feelings. Be that as it may, they still tried to keep me in that fruity outfit I hated and I didn't like that. And I was almost certain I'd be stuck, I was just thinking about it before Zack _finally_ took mercy on me and set me free! This was something that made me feel like I should do something for him in return… but what? I wasn't all that aggressive. The first time I kissed him I was so embarrassed. It was a lot less likely that he'd reject me this time but it was still too much. Just thinking about it made me blush, I could feel it! I couldn't do that! But I couldn't hide it either, that just made it worse. Especially when people like Kozue made fun of me for it!

"Cloud? Are you okay? Your face is all red."

"I'm fine." The last thing I wanted was for him to notice! But I couldn't stop thinking about it. The other night he almost kissed me on the lips! I didn't exactly react very well. It wasn't awful but I wasn't too sure I wanted him to do that. Maybe I just wasn't comfortable yet… And perhaps I shouldn't be. All of this crazy stuff was happening and I was forming a relationship? What was I? Crazy? What would that do to Zack if I… didn't make it…? Not that I didn't believe he could protect me. It was just something that I always had at the back of my mind. I could die. How many people had that hanging over their heads? Was it really fair to get close to someone when you didn't have much time left?

I could've gone on like that for hours but my train of thought was broken when Zack unexpectedly pulled me close. How was it that his embrace always made me feel so safe? My concerns were put on hold, if only for a moment. Sadly, they couldn't disappear completely. But there was no harm in letting him hold me. Just for a few minutes.

But wait. I was trying to think of a way to thank him. He'd gotten the belt off! He'd done it without hurting me too! I probably could've saved myself a lot of grief if I'd just let Kozue do it when he'd offered but… This was counterproductive. Even though I had to find some way to thank Kozue as well.

"Kweh?"

"Oh no…" Zack sighed. "Orion's awake, fun's over."

I frowned when he stepped away from me. I didn't want him to stop but he didn't have a choice. Orion seemed to get upset whenever we were close like this. Not a clue why.

"Where's the nearest shower?" I couldn't wait anymore!

"Ooh… I think you're gonna have to wait until Yuffie takes to our new place."

My jaw dropped. I had no idea what to say. I'd been waiting for days and now I had to wait even longer? It wasn't fair. Geez, my life was a mess. Even small things like this didn't go quite right. Oh well. The belt was gone and that was all I should've cared about.

"At the very least, are there any clean clothes? **Not** girl clothes!" My hair would have to stay a mess, not that it was noticeable, but the smell might ebb away a little if I changed. I just refused to have a repeat of what Tifa did to me. What was she thinking? Contrary to the belief of some I was indeed a boy! Although it could've been worse. At least it wasn't a dress.

"Oh yes. I got you some clothes, but they're back on the ship."

"Well what are we waiting for?" I asked before running back towards the ship. It was great to finally have that evil belt gone! I just couldn't wait to ditch the rest of the outfit as well! I was so close to finally being rid of this problem! It occurred to me that the stupid thing is one of three outfits that I have and I'd probably have to wear it again at some point… but that wasn't something I wanted to think about right now.

"Cloud!" Zack called whilst he caught up. "Don't get too far ahead of me."

His comment made me slow to a walking pace, "What could happen in the ten yards between here and the ship?" Not much more than tripping and falling. But that wasn't life threatening.

"You never know, we're in a strange land after all."

"Yes, but that girl is from here," I answered. "I assumed you had some sort of permission to be here. Like a treaty or something."

"Not exactly…" I heard him murmur.

A few minutes later I was tossing the evil articles of clothing into the hamper on top of my uniform. I'd been stuck in that thing and unhappy for so long the change didn't feel real. I was so afraid that any minute I would wake up from a dream or something. What would I do if that happened? Find Zack and hope the same thing happens?

"Never thought I'd miss jeans so much…" I sighed, as Zack entered the room. It's amazing how many great things people take for granted. It was too many things to list.

"Stop being dramatic!" Zack laughed, "You weren't wearing it for _that_ long."

"It **felt** like a long time."

"I bet."

Good! Someone was finally agreeing with me on things! Just because they were guarding my life at the moment didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted. Of course Zack never really acted as radical as the others. I could never understand what was wrong with them. Whenever someone came up with a bad idea it was always either Tifa or Cid, not a very good track record… Oh! I'd completely forgotten about something of vital importance!

"Zack, where's my phone?"

He smacked a hand to his forehead while making a sound of sudden realization, "You've really got to keep better track of it." He replied as he took it from his pocket and handed it back to me.

I'd never planned on falling out of the airship. But I figured that must've been obvious so I only rolled my eyes. He was right though. This was a life or death situation and a form of communication would prove useful for a variety of possible problems.

"Wasn't that broken anyway?" Zack went on to ask.

I hadn't even thought of it but it was. Yazoo had stepped on it when I'd first encountered him. It was broken beyond repair… completely destroyed… But I'd gotten sick after and when I got better it was just there. There wasn't much time to question it but now I felt as though I had to wonder. But it was only a feeling. I really didn't care. If some strange magical something wanted to fix my broken belongings, let it. It'd save me quite a bit. So I shrugged.

"That doesn't strike you as odd?"

"What does it matter?" I asked, "It's only a phone."

"Or is it?" Zack pondered. "Could it be bugged?"

"No." I shook my head, "Loz and Yazoo were too focused on manhandling me. Neither of them picked it up after breaking it." Now that Zack had me thinking about it… "Who are they anyhow?"

"Yazoo and Loz? They're the guy's minions."

"I know that. But who _are_ they?" They seemed to be more than mindless grunts.

"I don't know. They're Loz and Yazoo."

That was a very simplistic and vague answer… Ah well. I had to be used to this by now. Everyone lied to me… about everything. I couldn't help but obsess about it a little. It was really annoying. A guy could only take so much. And when I thought back on how my life had been going so far, shouldn't things start going my way soon? I sure hoped so.

"We'd better get back outside." I said, trying to keep my mind off of the annoying topic.

"We don't need to right away." Zack answered.

"Won't the others be worried?"

He made a look that indicated he was thinking about it, "They might." He shrugged, "But they know I'm with you. I don't think they'll panic."

Why was he…? Was he going to try something again? I really didn't know what to do when he did that! Do I just let him or do I stop him? It wasn't fair to block him at every turn but I was just too confused by all of this. I knew I really liked- No, I loved Zack but it was my first relationship! I'd never even tried to be with a girl before; I had **no** idea what I was doing! And I didn't want to mess anything up by doing something stupid. Was what I was currently doing considered stupid? I wish I could just ask him about all of this but I was too afraid that that would be a dumb move! How would he respond to it?

I could feel my heart begin to pound in anticipation. He was closing the gap between us! What should I do? I couldn't help but relate what I was feeling now to my usual reaction to terrifying situations. I couldn't breathe and my heart was in my ear! Of course my face was hot and pink, that was normal. But the heat elsewhere was new. My body was behaving very strangely. I didn't know what I wanted. My mind and body seemed to have a different opinion.

"Cloud? What's the matter?"

I tried to answer but what came out was inaudible. He was just so close.

"It's okay," Zack went on. Once again he pulled me into his arms. My ears registered the skitter of Orion's feet coming down the hall but Zack kicked the door closed. "I'm fine just holding you. If you don't want me to do something then I won't. You only need to say so. I'm not going to force myself on you."

It was easy for him to say that but to follow through with it appeared to be a harder task. I trusted him but I knew firsthand that he got carried away sometimes. He never did anything terrible and I never really said anything when he did, so was it my fault? This was almost too much to put up with. It was just as I'd said before; I had no idea what I was doing! It was frustrating. There were all of these feelings that I couldn't identify and a strange sensation in my core… maybe even lower…

"Cloud you look… uncomfortable." He sighed. It felt as though he might let go but I didn't want him to. Despite my signaling he released me and stepped back. I didn't want that!

Wordlessly, I wrapped my arms around his waist and clung to him.

"Wha? Cloud what are you doing?"

I just buried my face in his shirt. There was really no explanation for what I was doing. I just didn't want him to let go yet. The moment was too perfect for it to end so quickly. Why did it ever have to end? Why? Was it so much to ask that all the problems go away? Why was I always singled out for ridicule and punishment? Life certainly knew how to kick a guy. And as if that weren't enough it made people hate me. It wasn't like I ever outright complained. I was just realistic. Apparently that irritated people. Aw, who was I kidding? Realist in most situations was just another word for pessimist. I was hopeless.

I felt him shift and rest his chin on my head. But it only lasted a moment. Tifa was looking for me again, we both could hear her.

"Why does she always try to separate us?" Was it so wrong for us to be alone together for more than a moment?

"It's like I told you. She's just worried about you."

"But it's you, not this other guy, she's threatened by you!"

"Not so loud." He whispered, "I know. And if it bothers you just tell her to back off."

"But she doesn't listen to me." It was so annoying. I was just trying to get through this as best I could and she kept getting in the way of that. It wasn't fair. And, as bad as it was, she didn't look like she was doing it on purpose. Or at least not consciously. Still, it was annoying! Being around Zack made me feel better and she constantly pulled me away. But… what Zack was suggesting… I didn't know if I could do it. Telling someone off was a sort of skill that I never possessed. I just couldn't get angry enough.

"I see." Zack sighed. He released me and stretched before resting his arms behind his head, "Well, you need to make her listen eventually. But, for now, I'll handle it."

How was he going to manage that? Tifa didn't listen to him either. Even though she really should. Zack was a high ranking official in the military. If anyone knew how to handle stuff like this it'd be him, right? That's what made all of this so confusing. No one appeared to respect Zack at all. I mean, I guess they didn't _have_ to. They were civilians. But they should at least give him some credit.

I followed Zack out into the hall; the whole while trying to imagine what would happen if I stood up to Tifa. The scenarios didn't end very well… How was I, or anyone for that matter, supposed to do this without giving the wrong impression? Sure, they all pretend to be alright but secretly they're angry. I guess the best way really was to be angry myself, I'd never been pushed that far before. Not like this anyway. The other cadets did horrible things to me every day but I never found the courage to do anything about it. And this time I was supposed to be angry with a friend. A friend who I **knew** only had my best interests at heart. It felt as though it'd be quite difficult, but at this rate it wasn't impossible. She was coming across as controlling, as though she thought she were my mother. I didn't need another mother; in fact, I didn't need a father. I was just fine. I guess that was why my only problem was with Tifa for now. She was the only one behaving in such a way. No one else was trying so hard to be parental. Zack **definitely** wasn't trying to be my father and neither was Vincent or… Cid? Yes, his name was Cid. Regardless of the name, he was acting like even less of a father than the other two. They were all concerned. But I'd like to think that a father wouldn't suggest locking their kid in their room in order to protect them.

And… yes, Kozue posed as my father in that town but he didn't act like one. He was just… Kozue. Just the same as he had been. But he didn't like me very much. And he didn't exactly try to hide it…

"Oof!" I looked up and realized I'd been so caught up in my thoughts that I'd bumped into Zack. I stepped to the side and peered around him. He'd found Tifa. She had a smile on her face that at times seemed fake. This was one of those times. She wasn't happy. I could feel it. I didn't want to go with her so I hid back behind Zack.

"Where were you?" She asked. The question seemed harmless enough but I was too suspicious of her to believe that she had simply been wondering.

"In his room." Zack shrugged. "Why? Is something going on outside?"

"No," She replied, "But you disappeared all of the sudden. And-" She stopped talking and her eyes focused on me. "What is he…? You took the belt off!"

"Yes." Zack answered calmly.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because he hated it."

The simple and obvious answer confused her for a moment. She looked like she had been blindsided or something. Did she really expect me to believe that they didn't notice how unhappy I was when they stuck me in that outfit? C'mon! Zack was the only one who paid attention but I complained **all** the time!

After a minute of silence Zack shrugged again and walked past her, I was quick to follow. If I didn't I was sure I wouldn't see him again for hours.

"Where are you going?" She asked, not moving from her place in the hall.

"Nonya'." Zack answered back nonchalantly.

I couldn't help but admire that. He didn't care about the consequences at all. I knew he was right though. It really was none of her business where we were going. She was smothering!

A moment later and we were down below with Zack's bike. Wait… Something about that didn't feel right. Whose bike was that? I'd assumed it was his but now that felt wrong. It almost felt like my heart was telling me the bike was mine. That couldn't be right either. I had no idea how to ride a motorcycle. How would I? I'd get sick.

"What are we doing down here?" I asked.

"I'm just assessing how much work actually needs to be done."

What was that supposed to mean? Was there something wrong with the bike? That's what it looked like. He was looking it over and stooping down. Eventually he pressed something that made two side compartments spread from the axle. Impressive. Very impressive. I really liked the bike, I didn't know why but I felt drawn to it. Was it because it was shiny or something? I'd never seen this thing before.

I was a little distracted as Zack selected a blade out of the compartment. I definitely didn't expect what happened next. He threw the sword in my direction!

My mind was screaming at me to dodge it but for some reason I stood my ground. I was certain it would hit me but my hand, suddenly moving on its own, reached out and grabbed the sword by the hilt. I was shocked by how quickly my reflexes were in that moment I didn't even notice how I'd ended up on the floor, "Hawha…?"

"Are you alright?" Zack ran over.

"What just happened?"

"You uh… well… you caught the sword," He smiled and laughed nervously, "But the weight of it threw you backwards and made you fall."

"Why did you do that?"

"To see if you would catch it."

"But… you threw a **sword** at me," I still couldn't believe he did that! "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yes, but I gave you enough time to dodge and you didn't. You caught it. Don't you see how great that is? It's amazing!" When he saw that I still wasn't happy he stopped smiling and helped me up, "Amazing aside, I'm sorry I scared you."

I wanted to tell him it was fine but it really wasn't. I coulda been maimed! And no amount of materia was going to reattach my severed arm! Although, I guess it _was_ pretty cool that I caught it. I had no idea I could do that. I guess I was alright. I didn't have to be mad at him. But I didn't tell him that. He ought to know since I wasn't storming out. And if he didn't he could just torture himself.

He picked up the sword and examined its saw-like blade. This time he handed it to me; I took a firm grip of the hilt but as soon as he let go it became very difficult to hold it. It was so heavy I didn't think I could wield it. And Zack had made it look so light.

"That one's too heavy, eh?" He asked, taking it back.

"What's it made of?"

"I don't really know. It must be some sort of military alloy because as far as I know it can cut through anything. And I mean that. It cuts through everything as though it were butter."

That sounded even more dangerous than before…

He walked back over to the bike and replaced the sword in its compartment, "So we've got to start small," He produced a smaller blade, about half the size of the last one; it was almost like a dagger. When he handed it to me I was very surprised to find I could hold it. It was still a little heavy but I could hold it without much trouble. Hopefully he didn't want me to wave it around or anything.

"Should I really be handling a _real_ sword this early on?"

"Oh no," He gasped, "No, no, no. I'm just gauging your strength. I'd have to be crazy to expect you to handle a sword right away."

"But it's fine to throw one at me?"

"Yyyees."

Okay… That made about as much sense as catching the freakin' sword. What was wrong with me? These last few weeks, though the most eventful, had been awful. I was **always** confused. It gave me terrible headaches! I didn't know how much longer I could suffer through this.

"So… I guess we should go outside and find a stick for you to practice with," Zack sighed. "You seem to already have some idea on how to handle a blade though."

I looked at the sword in my hands, "I'm just holding it." Or was he seeing something that I wasn't? I suppose a professional sword wielder would have a better idea of what I was doing right or wrong.

"You're right," He replied as he took the sword from me, "But you hold it in a way that implies you've handled swords before."

"…Maybe a wooden one once or twice," I muttered. And even when I did that I'd only walk out back and whack a tree with it. I didn't have any friends back home to play with. But that seemed to be common knowledge at this point.

After Zack finished putting the swords away we went outside and did exactly as he'd said. I found a sturdy stick and waved it around as he instructed. I continued to surprise myself throughout the first day of training. I knew how to do a lot of the basic moves he'd asked of me. It wasn't much of a feat since they were only basic moves but they were more than just beating a tree with a stick. There were a few that my body just wasn't cut out for but I knew how they should've been executed. I was really starting to scare myself. And scaring _myself_ was an entirely new concept for me. I just couldn't explain how I knew all of this stuff. The knowledge felt like it came out of nowhere.

Still, as amazing as it was, I was not going to be able to defend myself against the known enemies with a stick and basics. If anything it would only make them laugh. Like Yazoo did when I tried to fight him… But he had every right to. After how easily he'd beaten me.

"Don't worry about the slip-ups!" Zack said as though he'd been following my thoughts. Of course that was only what it felt like, obviously he was referring to the techniques that I'd failed to do. "You just need to get your strength up! I'd start working on it soon. You're getting kind of soft." He whispered while poking my arm.

I pouted in response despite knowing he was only teasing. I was never much of a good sport when it came to teasing like that; never did anything about it but it still hurt a little. Maybe because I was always worried that the teasing was coming from some sorta truth that they were trying to point out. Not that I was concerned about my weight or anything!

"Aww, don't pout Cloud!" He exclaimed as he hugged me a bit tightly.

I was in no mood for it. I wasn't angry, but I didn't want a hug either. So I tried to get loose, he ignored it. So, rather than try to pull away, I pushed him.

Surprisingly, he went down. But he still had a hold of me. It was just like when I kissed him. He even turned it around on me and rolled over so I was underneath him.

"Pinned ya'!" He smirked.

I was aware of my poor reaction the last time this had happened, but I could tell he wasn't going to hurt me. He was wrestling or something. I couldn't compete with him. Where was he expecting this to go? I still tried my best to fight but my attempts were laughable.

"Hey guys!" A feminine voice called, "Whatcha doin'?"

I looked over to see the other girl, not Tifa, running over. That was a relief. I needed a bit of a break from Tifa for the time being. This girl had to be Yuffie since the number of women with us only went from one to two. I could see she had Orion with her, so _that's_ where he went after Zack locked him out…

Attempting to get up I found that Zack wasn't moving again. He was just staring at Yuffie. The two did seem to clash whenever they came in contact with each other. Or at least Zack appeared to bristle at her approach. A very distrusting air about him but in a serious way. More like a childish vendetta or something. And Yuffie wasn't exactly helping the situation by sticking her tongue out.

"Zack, get off!" I decided I wanted to get to safety before someone exploded.

Unfortunately, my shout only reminded him of what he was doing before Yuffie showed up. "Find a way to make me."

"I can't!" It wasn't as though I hadn't tried. He was **too** strong!

"C'mon."

"Gaia, what do you want me to do?" I gasped, "You're expecting too much of me on day one!"

"No, I just don't want you to give up."

"Zack, just get off." Yuffie sighed exasperatedly.

"I will when you get lost." He pouted.

"Why do I have to leave?" Yuffie asked, "I want to talk to Cloud too!"

"We're not talking, we're training!"

I thought we were done training… This was getting ridiculous! I wanted to get out of the dirt but it didn't look like I was going to get a say in the matter. Not until they stop arguing anyway. I felt like the toy two children were fighting over… It wasn't something I liked either.

Maybe I could escape while he was distracted! Wait… no. He had me pinned at the shoulders. I couldn't just slip away without him noticing. Dang!

"Kweh!"

Oh great. It sounded like Orion had joined in on the argument as well. Like that was going to help with the noise. And I couldn't cover my ears with my arms being held down. Well this moment had quickly gone south! But I had to admit I preferred little distractions like this rather than the bigger problem. What exactly was it that Yuffie had done to Zack? Or vice versa… I never got the update.

Suddenly the weight left my shoulders and I could see that Zack had been pulled away by Vincent. The gunman then picked me up and gently put me back on my feet before giving the two a stern look.

"If you two have a problem I suggest you work it out before something like this happens again."

"There's no problem, Vincent." Yuffie argued.

"Yeah, we weren't being serious or anything."

"If you insist then fine. Just don't get Cloud caught in the middle."

I was glad that someone was finally standing up for me but I was still baffled by it being Vincent. Why was he so protective? Zack was too but I understood that. With Vincent it was a bit of a mystery. It was like we were close friends or something. I guess we _were_ friends but I hadn't known him long enough to be **close** friends.

"I just wanted to spend some time with Cloud too!" Yuffie pouted.

"I think you should guide us out of this clearing first." Vincent answered.

"Has Cid finished hiding the ship?"

Vincent nodded.

Finally! She was going to lead me to a shower! A much needed shower. I thought I needed one before but now it was all the more obvious. Not only did I have a few days of stink on me but now I also had the sweat and dirt from training. Honestly, if I could smell the stench I must've been giving off right now I think I'd pass out! I didn't even want to think about how greasy my **stupid** hair was!

Rather than me smelling worse than a sewer-dwelling Sahagin, the trip to our new lodgings was a fairly pleasant one. I didn't really contribute to the conversation. Tifa and Yuffie chatted enough for everyone anyhow. And from what I could tell Vincent wasn't much for socializing. Cid appeared to keep to himself because he didn't want to talk to Zack. Not that Zack cared. He was fine walking next to me. I thought about holding his hand while we walked, and I was sure he wouldn't mind, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd be too embarrassed.

Yuffie led us to a village that looked very… interesting. I guess that would be the nicest way to describe it. The buildings were definitely out of the ordinary but they were all framed with bright red. Not that I didn't like red but it made everything look kinda fake. Maybe even cheesy. But only slightly. I suppose to the typical tourist the village would look fantastic and beautiful, what with the water and all the bridges connecting the buildings… Y'know, the more I looked at it the less offensive it seemed to get. But it was still cheesy. At least the people weren't in costume.

Speaking of people, they were all staring at Zack. And not in the way I would've expected. It was a very strange look that each of them wore on their faces. I couldn't even guess what they were thinking. But it looked like he knew since he was trying his best to hide his face from them.

We reached a house at the edge of town, next to a road leading into the mountains. It was a fair size. It almost looked like an inn and, judging by the brighter paint, it was newer than some of the buildings in the village. Outward appearances aside! If we didn't go inside soon I was honestly going to jump into the pond nearby!

"Calm down, Cloud." Zack nudged me, "What's got you so nerved up?"

"You don't smell that?" I whispered, "I think I'm even starting to smell it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me _that_. You of all people can totally tell I reek!"

He looked a little distressed while trying to decide if he should tell me the truth or not but, "Well yes. You do have a bit of an odor to you…"

"See!"

"But you're not the only one. So I don't really pay attention to who hasn't showered and who has."

"What?" That didn't really make any sense.

"Sensory adaption."

"What?"

"It's basically when your mind ignores something that's constantly there. It's what stops you from going nuts over the constant feeling of your clothes and such." He said, waving off my ignorance. Of course I didn't expect to know stuff like that; I hadn't been in lessons for that long either. Until only just recently I knew what my mother knew. And even though she was quite the intellectual in comparison to some, she didn't know everything.

When the door was finally opened I almost couldn't stop myself from pushing past everyone and running inside. Every second was murder! I just couldn't wait any longer.

So when Yuffie offered a quick tour of the house I stayed behind. Zack hung back as well, probably to play the bodyguard or something. Made no difference to me at this point; as long as he was going to help me find a bathroom… Or not, no search was needed. It was one of the only rooms in view with the door open.

I walked over to it with a bit of urgency but stopped, "Something wrong?" Zack asked.

"Well…" How was I supposed to put this? "The last time I was alone in a room Yazoo came in through the window." The thought of having him come in while I was in the shower was definitely disturbing. But the only solution I could think of would be to have **Zack** in there. That was almost equally embarrassing! Although, since we were kinda together it felt a bit more appropriate… But I couldn't even bring myself to hold his hand! Then again it wasn't as though he'd be in the shower with me, just in the room. Gah! This was awful! Was I just over thinking it again?

"Cloud I… don't really know what you're asking." Of course he did! He just wanted to hear me say it.

I shut my eyes and said, "Comeinwithme," So fast I hardly understood it.

"Huh?"

I really didn't want to say it again! My face was so red I felt dizzy! I couldn't see it but I knew it was. Zack's expression only proved me right. The only thing that came as a shock was that he wasn't laughing at me. He was just smiling.

"Could you repeat that?" He asked.

"I…!" I didn't feel like I could. My voice wasn't working correctly. It was like I'd shut down from humiliating myself. I had to force out every word, "Would you… please… come in with… me?"

He actually didn't look like he was expecting that, "You serious?"

"Y-yes. But! Not in the shower! Just in the room…" I didn't think I'd ever felt so small, and I was short!

"Sure, if that's what you want." He answered calmly. I could see he got a bit of color to his face as well but not nearly as bad as I always did. This was gonna be so awkward…

~Genesis P.O.V. ~

The last few days had been the most agonizing in all my years! I couldn't understand how this had happened, I'd been so careful! It usually took quite a bit for me to lose my composure but I swore I would scream if this wasn't fixed!

"Get lost, pest." I growled.

"But you didn't change your mind!"

Yes, Kadaj had been following me since Nibelheim. I didn't know how he did it but somehow he was there waiting for me outside the sewers. I'd been doing everything I could think of to shake him but nothing worked. He always came back! It was like a nightmare! He wouldn't leave me alone, always following me and whining at me to go home with him. It seemed those days spent in the mako tube had taught him nothing. Why did he think it was okay for him to continue harassing me like this? Honestly, I could kill him if I ever had enough. I'd thought of it a few times but he was just so pathetic. The instability of his mind combined with his young age made him appear to be so far gone. He may have no idea what he was doing or what the consequences were. At the very least I'd allow myself to hit him whenever he tried something. The little jack ass kept on touching me; it'd gotten to the point where I'd kick him whenever he got within three feet of me.

I'd never been on edge like this before. I really should just kill him and be done with it. There was no time for all these distractions, I was in position to infiltrate Neo Shinra but if Kadaj were to make something go wrong…

"I'm never going to change my mind and betray my friend." I told him once again, "Just go. You're a hindrance."

"I need to either turn you or destroy you. I can't go until you change your mind. Nii-San would be angry with me."

"Stop getting in my way or I'll destroy _you_." I glared.

"Ooh! Scary Mr. Pretty!"

"I have a name." I rolled my eyes. All of the other names he came up with were just stupid and more annoying than a baby screaming.

"I know, you're name is Gen."

"**Genesis**." If he was going to say my name he was going to say it properly! "Stop making up nicknames for me and just go back to Sephiroth."

"I told you I can't." He pouted stepping closer. Too close! With barely any thought my leg swept his feet out from under him and kicked him back into a boulder. "Ouch!"

"Stay away from me," I warned. Next time I might end up pushing him off a cliff and not on purpose either. He'd made that sort of response a reflex. And he didn't appear to care; he just got up and came back. Again, he was getting to close! This was really pissing me off. I spread my wing and shot up in the air before he had time to think.

I waved my arm and drew a rune on the ground that would temporarily bind him to that spot. That should give me enough time to get into the Neo Shinra building without a tag-along.

He watched me go but I didn't feel bad about leaving him there. Hopefully a monster would take care of him for me. It was a horrible thing to hope for, I know. But I just couldn't handle it. I didn't remember what to do in this kind of situation and it would be such a relief it would just go away.

I didn't land when I reached the building; those blasted Turks would be in there for sure. It'd be a bad idea to cause an uproar, even if it was an attempt to make them leave, that would only put them on alert and make things more difficult than necessary. But it also didn't feel very smart to go in there while they were all inside. I was confident that I could defeat them if they were made aware of my presence. However, that didn't mean it wasn't something I would've liked to avoid. I'd need time in order to get the information I wanted. And I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for. Not only that but I had no idea where they kept their files and such.

Although, with a bit more I thought I realized that time wasn't actually a luxury I possessed. I had to act now if I was going to be of any help to anyone. "Whatever then." I sighed as I flew down to the roof. It looked as though even years after the tragedy of meteor this company hadn't gotten to its feet. I was able to get through the door and inside as easily as opening it. And I didn't hear or see any alarm system. They seemed to be lacking in any sort of protection.

Angeal's voice suddenly entered my mind and made me jump slightly, _"What are you doing, Genesis?"_

"_I'm helping."_ I answered without speaking, continuing on into the halls.

"_I asked you to trail Zack and Cloud. Not break into buildings."_

"_Stop worrying. I'm trying to find a way to help everyone, even Sephiroth."_

"_He can't be helped. He's gone Genesis."_

I ignored that. My old friend couldn't be dead because of me. That was merely what people had convinced each other had happened. They'd given up on him, I couldn't. This was my fault I had to fix it. There had to be a way.

"_Just be careful."_ Angeal sighed before fading away.

While dealing with that I'd made it past eleven guards and entered the basement. Security was laughable! This was too easy. Had the _almighty_ Shinra company really fallen this far? Something in the back of my mind was nagging me but I was too busy to care. I could see what I had been looking for. I'd searched a few other rooms on the way and found nothing. This had to be it. The files they'd salvaged from the old empire. Hopefully there would be something in there relating to Sephiroth.

I knelt down in front of the portion of the cabinet that contained the correct ones. The rest of the wall was more current stuff.

"This is it?" There wasn't much. I didn't find anything relating to Hojo's experiments much less info on SOLDIERs. I did get a little lucky with the find of **two** separate folders on Sephiroth. Setting them aside, I continued looking through and found something else interesting. Apparently someone had mixed in a folder taken from a different organization. I had to stop and ask myself if I should really let myself be distracted by this when I should've just left with what I needed... I still looked through the folder. It appeared to be about a place called Deepground. "Oh yeah…" That place. Crawling with those monsters that they'd melded with my genetics. That wasn't important, so I tossed it aside. Honestly. I didn't want to think about that mess ever again and I didn't think I'd have to after burying that fool, Weiss.

I had no desire to be lumped in with those crazed children; I'd had plenty of that with all the Hollander mess and the clones of myself. Foolishness, the lot of it.

Dropping the remaining folders, I gathered up the two on Sephiroth and found a place to sit while quickly fumbling through them. It still wasn't anything too useful for my cause. How very discouraging. One of them was completely about his later actions when he was against Shinra. The other also had a lot to do with that as well. Nope. It looked like the old president had thrown out a lot of information that referred to him as the General. It looked like they didn't want to be associated with him anymore either. Too bad for that.

It _did_ teach me quite a bit about his actions while I had been asleep. Very temper tantrum-esque. Clones of himself- the thief- killing people, killing the **president**, blah, blah, blah. There were several side-notes talking about his, dare I say, creepy obsession with Cloud. Based on what I read that sniveling little kid was going to turn into someone worthy of saving. He'd certainly done a good job of cleaning up our mess. After he'd cleaned up his own act of course. There were some things on him in the same folder due to his close relation with Sephiroth. All useless, interesting, but useless. That is until I discovered I'd overlooked something. Sephiroth had been born like any other child and as such he _did_ in fact have the record to prove it! He'd just never seen it. From the looks of it and the yellow color of the paper it had been put away and never looked at again. But this, although seeming small, had everything I ever could've hoped to find! The horrid name of that blue **bitch** was nowhere to be seen!

I folded the paper and put it in my pant pocket before practically jumping up.

"What's got you so happy?"

I froze. How did this always happen? I thought I'd lost him…

"How'd you find me, Kadaj?"

"Nii-San told me." He answered innocently. His expression didn't match his voice though. He looked evil, as though he could _actually_ hurt someone. "Did you change your mind?" He asked, getting too close.

I fell back on my reflex and brought my leg up to kick him. Once I did he only brought his hand up and caught my ankle. I tried to pull it back but his grip was like a vice and getting stronger. My face reflected the twinge of pain I felt and yet he wouldn't release me.

"Guess that's a no," He frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that." He sighed and gripped my foot with his other hand. Looking up to stare at me, he quickly twisted until there was a loud snap.

"AUGH!" Son of a bitch!

"Lovely!" He let go and clapped his hands together.

Since he'd let go my leg fell and made me gasp in pain when my broken ankle hit the ground. I didn't want to look weakened by it but I also could stand on it, I had no choice but to sink to the floor.

"Looks like they heard you…"

I looked at him in confusion and soon heard what he was referring to. There were footsteps on the floor above and they were headed for the stairs. That miniature bastard! Now, more than ever, I wanted to kill him! He must not have been aware of how angry I was because he had the gall to approach me.

"Get away from me!" I hissed.

"I'm not going to kill you." Kadaj said kneeling down, "I'm going to let _them_ handle that." He shifted his eyes to show me he was talking about the people running towards us. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

He leaned in for a kiss but I wouldn't have it. My arm shot out and I wrapped my hand around his thin neck. "Fuck you!" If he thought I was going to allow that then he was most definitely deluded! I was about to snap his neck when he disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. "Damn!"

"What is going on in here?" A man asked coming through the door. He wore a suit and had his black hair pulled back, Tseng. He was followed by the rest of them, Rude, Reno, and Elena. Great! I'd been caught! If I got away Kadaj was in for it!

"What happened?" A man in a wheelchair called from the top of the stairs. His question was overall ignored. When he asked again the woman ran back up.

"Genesis?" Tseng gasped.

"Aint he supposed to be dead?" Reno asked. Rude nodded.

"No, he only disappeared. He was never confirmed dead," He answered regaining his calm demeanor, "Why are you here now?"

"He's probably helping Sephiroth." Reno shrugged.

"No!" They probably wouldn't believe me but I wasn't going to stay silent and let them just assume whatever they wanted without even attempting to correct them.

"Why isn't he attacking?" Tseng wondered aloud.

"He's hurt." Rude pointed out.

Ah Minerva! Someone finally noticed that I was doubled over in pain. Too bad the possibility that nothing would be done about it was high. These people weren't on my list of allies; neither was anyone. I think, at this point, my only friend was Cloud… But he wasn't aware of who I was. Once he knew he'd probably turn on me… It didn't matter now though. I was all but done for. Sorry Angeal.

**(A/N)** Oh noez! Genesis got captured! His piece came out longer than I thought it would. Meh, he's got more going on than Sephiroth… for now…


	21. Zack's Getting Lazy

**(A/N)** Okay! Next one! I figured the shower scene would be more fitting in Zack's point of view. And yes, Cloud is honestly worried about someone else coming through the window. It only takes one horrific experience to condition fear of it after all. But, by far, I'm obsessing about how my friend's favorite so far in this story is Kadaj. Mostly I feel dumb… I shoulda seen that one coming! She **loves** creepers!

For the sake of not sounding too cliché I'm going to say that this was _not_ a dream and that this was totally _believable_ despite feeling the opposite. I mean, Cloud had just asked me to be in the same room with him while he was showering. I knew he hadn't meant for it to mean anything. It was merely a precaution that he'd surprisingly come up with himself. Based on my observations of his behavior in these kinds of situations, this was something I'd never expected. That was why I hadn't been able to put it together when he'd said it so quickly. It was so unlike him. Not that I was going to argue! This was a very progressive move he'd made.

"Wait out there for a minute though," I heard him say as he fidgeted.

"Wait out here?" I repeated, "Why?"

"Just wait until I'm in the shower… Please?"

Oh now that just wasn't fair. The begging and the big eyes! If he were just a little older, he'd be playing dirty and wanting me to do the opposite. Sadly, as he was now, that wasn't the case. He honestly didn't want me to see him, even though I'd seen it all before. But he didn't know that either. Man, this was fun but it was also annoying at times. I could hardly do anything. And holding myself back was proving to be a greater challenge than I'd expected.

Either way, I stood outside the closed door until I heard the water running. The others were still elsewhere, good thing too. I'd hate to see how they'd react. None of them looked like they'd flip but… you think you know someone and that's when the trouble starts. I thought I knew Sephiroth and look what happened with that. But that was a bit of a worse case scenario. How many times are friends going to go batshit crazy and kill everyone? That thought seemed reassuring, that is until I remembered that there were two others who shall remain nameless that did something along those lines.

"Wow…" I sighed. "My life was as heartbreaking as it was short…" Seriously, when I thought back on it, not only did it not take long but it didn't seem real. It felt like a tragic movie or something. And I put my parents through all of that mess. Now I was back, you'd figure I'd go see them. But… that felt like it'd be too cruel. They'd probably made peace with what happened and for me to come back? Only to leave again? I couldn't do it.

Trying to shut out those thoughts, I went into the washroom and looked for a place to sit down. It occurred to me that I was probably ripe myself but it could wait. If I could, I would've just insisted we shower together. Ah well. Being a gentleman was a full time job.

That being said, I probably should've done a better job of not looking. But that was also harder than one would think. My eyes would constantly stray to the shower. I could only see his silhouette; it still didn't help with my current problem, it was just something that made me feel better about it. I couldn't see _him_. Just a shadow. And yet the silhouette was triggering some things that could spell trouble. It didn't take much effort to fill it in with his body since, as I said, I had seen him before. He was so thin; his waist was even more so, giving him a slight curve. If it weren't for his completely flat chest, he could've been mistaken for a girl. In fact, drunks frequently did. And though he certainly was very nice to look at, that wasn't why I was so attracted to him. Unlike a certain ex-friend/General, I knew Cloud. Since I'd taken the time to be his friend first I'd gained a respect and adoration for everything about him.

I suppose I could pride myself on that later because now all I could think about was his physical appearance. He was right in front of me after all! Well… not exactly. There was a curtain in between us. A thin curtain! I couldn't help it. There was a lot to credit him for. I knew he hated his small stature but he was well proportioned for his size. His legs weren't too short, his arms weren't too long, but he never seemed to notice these things. He only ever focused on how myself and all the other men he knew towered over him. It wouldn't help if I told him, I know, but that was part of what made him so cute.

"Zack," Cloud called when the water stopped.

"Huh?"

"Can you wait outside again?"

I thought briefly and then shook my head, "Nope."

"What? But I'm-"

"Relax," I threw him a towel, "I'll stare out the window or something and make sure no one comes through it."

"Zaaack!"

"No time to argue," I shrugged. Unexpectedly, after an exasperated sigh, he came out holding the towel up to his chest. He almost didn't look like himself. His wet hair was flattened down with nary a golden spike protruding.

"Well turn around!" He shouted, a red band running across his nose.

"Ah, right!" I turned to look out the window, almost hoping something interesting was happening out there. None such luck. Nothing would've topped what was going on behind me anyhow. While I was thinking about it, it was really bothering that me Kadaj hadn't shown up to bother us yet. It was making me sweat. If he wasn't here, then where was he? Where were any of the remnants? Had I actually gotten it right? Was coming here a smart move? I hoped that were true; that Sephiroth was too busy searching Nibelheim or Gongaga. I would've, based on my behavior back then. Running from the Shinra army and I go home? How dumb was that? Cloud and I were lucky that Cissnei was the one who found us.

Ah Cissnei… I hoped she was doing alright. She deserved to have a better life than this. After helping me through so much, if it weren't for her I didn't know what would've become of me. If she hadn't inspired me to keep on believing in dreams after Angeal left, would I have turned out like Genesis? That was the biggest question. I knew that if any other Turk had found us while we were on the run we'd probably be back at the lab. Perhaps Cloud and I would've been some sort of monsters by now… Or… Since Cloud had grown up to save the world from Sephiroth twice, we'd all be dead.

"Zack…? Are you spacing again?"

"What's that now?" I asked, turning around. Cloud had gotten dressed quicker than I thought he would. Jeans, a blue long-sleeved shirt, and a lighter blue short-sleeved hoodie over it. I stared at him and he stared back, this went on for several minutes until one of his spikes sprung up. "Hey Cloud…" I'd been meaning to ask but it'd somehow never come up. "How does your hair work?"

"What?"

"Your hair. Why is it like that?"

"Umm… I got it from my mother I guess," He shrugged. "She told me her hair was always blonde but not quite as bright as this. It happened while she was pregnant with me actually, she was on a walk and one of the mako vents in the ground kinda blew like a geyser right in her face. Afterward, she got sick for about a week, when she recovered her hair was a vibrant blonde and spiked up like mine. And I was just born with it. That's the way she tells it anyway."

Huh… So that's why I never detected any sort of product in it. A few more of his spikes sprang back up before we left the bathroom. It appeared Yuffie still had the rest wandering around throughout the house, or perhaps they were busy planning something for Cloud. From what I heard there wasn't much left of this party to plan, it only needed to be put together. I wasn't sure who was handling what but I'd insisted on being the one to take him out and keep him distracted while they set it up. Oh yes, tomorrow was going to be a big day. A very big day indeed. I almost wanted to skip the rest of today just to get to it faster but there wasn't much left to do. My biggest concern was sleeping arrangements. Would Cloud be up to sharing a room? It seemed to be the better choice given his other options.

"Should we go find which room we want?" I asked. I only wanted him to think about it and see if he actually wanted to bunk with me. If not he'd probably end up stuck in a sleep over with Tifa and Yuffie. And, unless I was mistaken, he really didn't want that. Who would? Well I suppose there were a few people that would want that. But I wasn't one of them and Cloud had been feeling smothered by her so… I was feeling pretty confident that he would pick me.

"I don't know. I actually really want to get out but that seems like it'd be a stupid move…"

Well yeah. Going out in the open would at the very least give Sephiroth an opportunity to figure out where we were.

"I mean, there's a **war** going on out there."

Oh… That was what he was talking about. There wasn't actually any war anymore. But I guess there might still be some old hostiles. Not many though. It might be interesting to see if I could find any. One wouldn't have to look far to find someone bearing a grudge against Shinra but that didn't mean they were as violent about it as they used to be.

"If you want to go out that's fine. What can they do when you've got a SOLDIER operative with you?"

"Don't you think that's kinda… asking for trouble?"

"Nah, it's fine." I just didn't want to go too far and make any sort of commotion. There was no war, but there was still the main problem. I'd have to be on my guard for any youth with silver hair. "Just don't run off and get separated from me or anything."

"I wasn't really planning to." He frowned. "I didn't do all of that stuff on purpose."

"Want to bring your bird?"

"No, Yuffie can keep him for now."

That was good because I didn't really want him to bring it in the first place. Just had to ask in case. Orion was a hand full. Who knew, the chocobo might've been the one to run off and get us separated. It was **really** good that we weren't bringing it.

As soon as we were back outside the people went right back to staring as they passed. I did my best to ignore it and focus on Cloud. "Why the sudden urge to come out here?"

"Needed a break I guess." He sighed. "I just want to try and forget all of this mess if only for a moment."

"It won't make it go away."

"I know!" Cloud shouted, "But I wish it would. I don't understand any of it! I didn't do anything! Why does this guy want to kill me so badly when I didn't even do anything?" His eyes were teary; this could've become the exact kind of commotion I had feared.

I took him in my arms and guided him down by the water. It was out of the way but still close enough to be considered public. If anything happened, people would hear it and it would hopefully reach the others. Just in case we ran into more trouble than I could handle on my own. I couldn't help but wonder how much help Cloud would be in such a situation. With the help of the _latent abilities_ he'd displayed earlier. Impressive skills with a bit of rust is what it looked like. Almost as though the other him was trying to break through. Or perhaps it was merely muscle memory. I suspected he could help if there was any sort of trouble not having to do with Sephiroth. Weird. Until my stupidity had done this to him, he'd been the go-to guy when it came to him.

Now, my actions had put him in danger. It didn't matter that Sephiroth had said he wasn't going to kill him. That didn't mean he wasn't going to hurt him. And I wasn't so sure that was any better. Not to say that I wanted him to kill him rather than keep him alive and torture him. I mean, Sephiroth torturing Cloud wasn't what I wanted to happen either. But at least that made it possible for me to save him. You couldn't really rescue a body. Well… I guess I could. But only to give him a proper burial…

Of course, a burial is never really necessary. Cloud would probably disintegrate into those little light particle thingies. DAH! What was I thinking? Cloud wasn't going to die and he wasn't going to be hurt by that psychopath either! What kind of person was I to be thinking about that at a time like this? Cloud was upset and I was spacing about his doom as though it were inevitable! Well it wasn't.

I looked down and was relieved to find that I hadn't let him go. I was also pleased to see that he wasn't trying to get away. He was leaning into my embrace. He felt so frail in my arms. And it was all my fault. He'd been strong; he'd moved on, he was living his life! And now he was in this mess all because I was reminiscing about his youth.

"Cloud?" I asked. He didn't look up; he kept his face hidden in my chest. And by the way his shoulders would shudder every now and again, I had to guess that he was crying. Well that was terrible. He was trying to relax and I made him cry! Not good. That was the opposite of good! I had to do something to make him feel better. But what? Push him in the creek? No! That would only make things worse! Stupid!

"Cloud, it's not your fault," I said as I recalled why he was upset, "This man is insane. There's no real reason as to why he's doing this."

"That makes **no** sense." He hiccupped.

"I know."

"Why is he so fixated on me? Shouldn't he have given up by now?"

"No. It's not like that. His unstable mind has created wrongdoings on your part and he's lashing out because of it. He's obsessed and it's all that's driving him." And Cloud had no idea how much truth there was in that lie. Sephiroth may not have made up the things that Cloud had done but his sick obsession really was the only thing that was keeping him going. I had to admit, it was a very powerful obsession. He'd been resurrected many times because of it. Though this time was probably the first instance where Cloud was his sole focus. It was scary to see what the desire for revenge did to a person. And what was even scarier was knowing how easily people were consumed by it.

"So…" Cloud started, "What are we gonna do? If anything?"

"I'm not sure. I've been wracking my brain daily but nothing feels like it will work." I sighed, "But I figure it'll come to me. When it counts."

He finally moved away so I could see his face. There were slight tear stains which, I had to guess, meant I hadn't upset him too badly. "I don't know if that makes me feel any better…" He said with an expression that wasn't very clear.

"I'm sorry. Devising plans isn't my strong point," I scratched the back of my head. I'd never really had to on missions. I was more the muscle of the operation than the strategist. I'd come up with a plan of escape once and look how well that had turned out… Well… It helped Cloud escape. Looking back, the strategic genius was always Sephiroth. Dah! I needed help! I needed Angeal! What did he mean last time anyhow? The clouds have scattered…? Clouds have scattered… Clouds…

"Where do you go?" Cloud asked.

"Huh?" Dang! I was almost onto something. Oh well, "Nothing. Just thinking." Why was I thinking while Cloud was with me? It was causing unnecessary silence and making things awkward.

"What were you thinking about?"

"I barely even remember." The only thing I knew is that I was close to some sort of conclusion. I think.

"Why are those people staring?" He said as his eyes glanced past me.

I frowned without bothering to check. There could've been any number of reasons. It could've been me, him, the two of us together. Perhaps it was because he had been crying. It didn't matter. It was best to ignore it and not talk to anybody. "They may not be used to seeing people like us." I answered and followed it up with, "City folk." Didn't want to make him think they were staring because we were together or anything. Even though it was a lie, these people had seen plenty of tourists. Not to mention Cloud and I weren't even city folk. His facial expression said exactly that. "Well then maybe it's your hair." I said ruffling the spikes. Throughout this whole conversation they had continued to dry and spring up without the weight of the water, how many people's hair did that?

"I'm not the only one here with spiky hair," He pouted.

"Yes, but mine's not springing up as though it's alive." I began to lead him further down in an attempt to get out of sight. Luckily, no one was feeling ambitious enough to follow. Good thing too, there was no reason for them to be bothering Cloud. He had enough to worry about.

"Stupid hair…" I heard Cloud mutter.

"Would you prefer to be bald?"

"If it makes me less noticeable then… maybe." That wasn't something I'd wanted to hear. It was very selfish of me but I definitely preferred him with hair. And I'd grown so used to the spikes, I didn't know what I would do if they were gone. Cloud would look funny if not downright weird without the spikes. "Don't you think they make me a little _too_ noticeable?"

"What do you mean?"

"It makes me really easy to find. Shouldn't we do something about that?"

"Like what?" I wasn't so sure the presence of mako was going to allow any sort of change to it. If his hair was going to defy gravity then it was going to defy gravity.

"We could dye it a different color?" He shrugged.

All I could do was shake my head. I'd heard some stories from the thirds who tried things like that. The dye would just burn off. Strange stuff, mako. "We could go back to the shops and look into it. At the very least, we could try a wig or something."

"You think?" He looked hopeful. And I wasn't about to dash it.

On the way back I offered him my hand; he took it without hesitation. The grin was impossible to hold in but I did my best to keep it under control. I was well aware that I could be an idiot sometimes and look in a way that reflected it. I just couldn't help it. I was happy.

The town didn't have as many shops as I'd thought. At one time it may have but it looked like most of them were closed. There was still a fair number despite that but a lot of them were for travelers who would need supplies so they didn't have much when it came to novelty. That is, until we found a shop that was stocked with weaponry. I asked the owner and, fortunately, he did have things for disguises. Good thing too, we were about to give up.

We got a simple, short, brown wig that parted to the side. It took some work to get all the spikes to disappear but once it was on it looked alright. His eyebrows were still light but the bangs of the wig covered them, more or less, so it was fine for now. Coloring eyebrows was something that none present could do. Much too close to the eye to allow any screw-ups. So we went back to the house and found the others waiting.

"Finally!" Yuffie rolled her eyes, "What were you doing?"

"None of your business, crybaby." I answered with a smirk.

"Don't start you two," Said Tifa, coming between us. She looked around and stopped upon seeing the small boy next to me. "Why is Cloud a brunette?"

I was going to answer but Cloud spoke up first, "I thought the spikes were too obvious."

"So we found him a wig," I added. It was great that Cloud had answered her himself but he was still being too timid around her.

"Oh great!" She smiled, "We had a similar idea!"

"You what?" Cloud and I both asked.

"We went and got disguises for everyone." Yuffie folded her arms across her chest. "You can't just hide Cloud. They'd still figure it out. A boy his age hanging out with us, they'd know. So we all need to change our appearance."

"Makes sense," I shrugged, "Although I doubt Loz would figure it out."

"You're probably right, but he's not our only concern."

"He's a concern?"

"Anyway!" Tifa interrupted. "Just take this and meet back here." She said as she shoved a bag at me.

"What about Cloud?"

"Don't worry. He'll be here when you get back."

I gave them a look of suspicion but left anyway. He'd better be there when I got back; I was sick of their crap. Besides, if Sephiroth showed up what were they going to do? I couldn't face him alone but I could probably hold him off longer than they could. Though that was only an assumption. I'd given it my best before and he'd beaten me. Too bad he wasn't sane; I wanted to ask him if he really had fought me seriously back then. Oh well.

Once I got upstairs I busied myself with changing. As I looked over the articles of clothing, they started to look very familiar. Very déjà vu. And it only got worse when I put them on. Then it all started to come together. As I got toward the bottom of the bag I found armor and a helmet. I don't know who did it, whether it was Yuffie or Tifa, but they'd gotten me a Wutain soldier's uniform. Neat! I doubted I was supposed to put on the helmet and everything but I did anyway. It was very funny that the uniform covered their mouths. It was like they thought the Shinra army was going to trace their identity and kill their family.

Well… I guess I wouldn't put it past some of them…

I came back down to find who I assumed was Cloud. He was wearing the brunette wig, as before, but it looked like Tifa or somebody had colored his eyebrows. His clothing was very simple; grey shirt and loose black pants. The top had long sleeves with black cuffs and was held together with knot fasteners, the pants had grey cuffs and his shoes were black. He looked very **neutral**. He definitely wouldn't be noticed now. The only thing that told me it was Cloud was that he still had those beautiful blue eyes.

"I hardly recognized you," He looked like a completely different boy. A cute boy, but not as cute as Cloud usually looked.

"Me? What about you?" Cloud asked. "Why do you have half your face covered?"

"It covers up the scar," I shrugged. And that was really important. Not many people had an 'X' shaped scar on their jaw line. "I don't have a wig or anything though and… what did they do to your eyebrows?"

"It's just make up."

"Oh. So it's just going to…"

"Wash out, yeah."

"Very good disguise nonetheless." I said, giving the thumbs up. It made me curious as to what the others were dressed as buuut… the feeling was passing. Seeing Cloud made me forget a lot of things. The new look was certainly doing its job. I would miss the spikes, it was a necessary sacrifice but I couldn't ruffle his soft hair anymore. I found myself thanking whoever that my impulses had driven me to do so just before. I'd have to cherish that while doing my best to remember. Still, I didn't promise _Tifa_ that Cloud would still be there when _she_ got back. "Have you seen upstairs yet?"

"Oh… uh…" He averted his eyes and started to fumble with his sleeve, "No."

"What's wrong? You're acting all nervous."

"I dunno, I just- no, no reason, it's nothing."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Okay…" What was he thinking? As far as I knew I wasn't going to try anything, I also knew that I'd lost track of myself before. But c'mon! I was alone with him in the **bathroom**! If I were going to do anything, wouldn't I have done it in there? Or was it something else? Well, he wasn't going to tell me. Not now anyway. So I offered my hand again, this time I had to wait briefly before he took it; but he looked like he'd been thinking so I had to guess he was distracted rather than hesitant.

His mood hadn't improved much even after several minutes of silence. The only thing that broke it was when we ran into another Wutai soldier. Cloud hid behind me while I tried to decide what to do. My first thought was to attack but, thinking logically about the situation, I waited. Good thing I did.

The soldier put up their hands and removed their helmet. A mess of raven hair fell to rest on their shoulders and showed me it was Vincent. So I wasn't the only one stuck under a helmet. Well… that made sense. "Where's Cid?"

"I don't know."

"So, what's with the sudden disguise plan? Just an excuse for the girls to go shopping?"

"Basically."

"Do you think this'll work?" Not to say that it was a waste of time but something was nagging me.

"I don't see why it wouldn't." Vincent answered, obviously not feeling what I was feeling. "But we need to come up with a more permanent solution than this. We all can't stay like this forever."

"So true. Any ideas?"

Even though I knew what I had to do. I just had no idea how I was supposed to go about changing Cloud back. There wasn't anything that could reverse this. If I hadn't been expelled I could've fixed it. Just think back to Cloud as he was supposed to be and spill it again. But no, they couldn't make this easy. Besides, I still wasn't so sure if I wanted to fix it. As he was, he hadn't been through hell and back.

I quickly forced that subject back with the nagging feeling and paid attention to Vincent. He didn't appear to know what to do. Every other time someone had just gone and taken care of Sephiroth. This time was different. Their tank was a child. And one that they wanted to protect.

Now that I thought about it, they were lucky. Sephiroth could've easily forced them to face him by holding the planet hostage. Like any other time, if he were threatening the lives of everyone else, we wouldn't be able to hide like this. Was he slipping? Or did he get some sort of sick thrill from the hunt? I'd like to hope his intelligence had degraded but it was more than likely the latter. Which meant it was a bad idea to let my guard down. Just because the remnants weren't around didn't mean he'd given up.

"I've got an idea," We all heard Cid from behind. He was also in a uniform but it was orange instead of green. "How 'bout we stop running. Find his hideout and use the ship to blast it!"

"And how do we find him without risking a counter attack?" I asked.

"Counter attack from who? Demon-child, dimwit, and she-male?"

"Could be. But they might not be his only pawns. We simply don't know enough to launch a preemptive strike. I say we're fine lying low for now."

No need to be reckless after all. Perhaps I was appearing too cautious but I just didn't want to make any of the classic mistakes. And the approach Cid was suggesting usually ended with casualties. At the very least it's taking Cloud too close to danger. I wasn't about to play fast and loose with anyone's life. This all only reminded me that I needed help. Why couldn't Angeal have been sent back with me?

"You don't have to stay here," Cloud sighed. I'd almost forgotten he was there. "If this is too much trouble for you all, you can go home."

"What?"

"I just don't understand why you all are putting your lives on hold for me. Before this, I'd never met most of you. And I can't fight, can't plan, can't do anything. It doesn't make sense to me. I don't want to die but I'm not worth it."

What was he saying? None of us were feeling obligated. Was it our current conversation that put him in a slump?

"When did I say I wanted out?" Cid asked. "I never said anything like that."

"It just feels like-"

"Stop that!" Cid cut him off, "If anyone wanted to leave they would've. So quit sellin' yourself short. We're your friends so now you're stuck with us. We like you, kid. Deal with it."

Wow… I had no idea Cid could be anything but a grumpy old man. But I didn't get a chance to comment on it before Vincent stepped past the two of us and took Cid downstairs. They appeared to be brainstorming on how to deal with Sephiroth. Good. Let them deal with the headache for a while.

Speaking of headaches… I hadn't seen or heard the bird in a while. How was the little chocobo supposed to recognize anyone when we were all wearing disguises? Smell? And for that matter, why did I care? Orion didn't like me. Doy.

"Zack, I really feel like you all should stop trying so hard."

"Didn't Cid tell you to knock that off?" Geez, it was looking more and more like he was in a _mood_. And not the good kind either. "This is what we decided to do. They're your friends and they care about you. You **know** I do. So what's wrong?"

"I just have this bad feeling. Like something's wrong."

"Huh?"

"None of you have it too? It's like this is all a waste of time… Like it's not going to do any good."

"That's just the fear talking." I said after a short time. "It'll be okay, I pr-"

"Don't' promise me!"

"Cloud…" I didn't know what to do. He was tearing up again and he didn't want me to help him feel better. I felt awful but all I could do was stand there and stare.

"Don't promise me because… If something goes wrong… I don't want you to be a liar!"

Oh no. I had to say something. But what do you say to that? There was no time to think! He was crying! Meanwhile I continued to stand there like an idiot. What to do? What to do? Hadn't we already gone through this today? Ah man, that didn't matter. I'd tried to distract him and now he was back to feeling gloomy. I placed my hand on his shoulder and walked down the hall. The last thing I needed was Tifa coming up and taking him away.

I went down to the end of the hall, toward the room where I'd donned my disguise, and locked the door. Cloud was still a little shaken but, "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, I'm such a girl." He rubbed his eyes, "I tried not to."

"Hey, not all girls cry. Just try accusing Tifa of that and see what happens."

"You know what I mean." He sighed, "I hate myself."

"What were you thinking about that made you so upset anyway?"

"I don't know. It was just everything. I really tried to ignore it but I couldn't stop." Great, so he'd internally tormented himself until he'd cried. There were some things about Cloud that were hard to put up with but one had to respect that he didn't complain. Just kept it in until it all piles on top of another matter, like a concern for others. That would explain what had appeared to be an overreaction on his part. Though Cid _did_ frequently come across as annoyed by the whole thing. But that was just his default it seemed.

"You've got to stop doing that to yourself."

"What do you mean?" He asked, tilting his head to one side.

"I mean that you should learn how to de-stress little by little. Rather than letting it all come crashing down on you."

"How do you do that?"

"I'm not sure," I answered, "You could try any number of things. And if one doesn't seem to work then try another. Although… I don't recommend complaining about every little thing."

He still looked lost. But there wasn't much more I could say. I could give him some ideas, for sure, with no guarantee that any of them would work. This was one of those things that differed from person to person. I _did_ know one thing that used to work well but I'd already told myself that wasn't an option. Many times. It was well known that working things out with any sort of physical activity did wonders for stress. Perhaps taking him out to do more training would work as well as sex. Even though it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

~Another Genesis P.O.V.~

I had been expecting to be executed. Apparently they either didn't have the time or Rufus had another plan. I couldn't be certain. So I was caged like a bird and more or less left to my own devices. A sharp twinge reminded me that they hadn't healed the damage that Kadaj had done.

Perhaps they thought that keeping my tarsal bones in such a poor state would keep me out of trouble. They might be right. I'd had worse injuries before, yes, but when it came to means of escape anything wrong with a leg or a foot was trouble. I couldn't stand on my left. So most of my time was spent sitting or lying down. If I had to stand, for any reason, I had to keep my left foot suspended. It was always such a difficult endeavor and usually ended in failure accompanied by pain.

The situation looked hopeless. They hadn't even provided me with anything to set the bones. So, as it was healing naturally, there was no way to ensure that it was healing properly. This meant that I'd be crippled if not killed before then. And if I managed to escape I'd have to break the bone again in hopes that there was no permanent damage. I'd thought of trying to fly out but the area where they'd confined me made that action difficult if not impossible; given the lack of windows and such. There was also the matter of space. My cell wasn't large enough to fit myself as well as my wing. I got the feeling that I tried to spread it to its full span it'd break. And I **really** didn't need something else broken.

From what Rufus had told me, this place was more or less designed to hold someone like myself. Although, what with the lack of SOLDIER operatives they'd had no means of testing it. So there may have been a way out that I wasn't seeing.

I would have blasted the wall and been done with it if not for Kadaj. The power needed to take down the thick wall before me required a firm stance if one didn't want to be hit too badly by the recoil. That little-! I wasn't sure what I was going to do to Kadaj if I got out. My revenge wasn't as important as the task Angeal had set for me. And though I'd intended on getting straight back to it, well now that seemed like it wasn't going to happen. All I could do was hope that they weren't in trouble.

I looked toward the door just as Tseng was coming in. Hmph. Something about him ticked me off. Always had. Perhaps it was because he was such a well trained lap dog. Always did what he was told, never spoke out of turn, geez. What a life.

"What are you doing, Genesis?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you come here? Are you trying to kill the president?"

"If I said 'no' would you believe me? I doubt it. You've already convinced yourselves that I'm working with Sephiroth," I rolled my eyes.

"Well, considering your past, I'm sure you can see why we would think that."

"Fair enough," I sighed, "It's easy to see why you wouldn't be too quick to trust me. You especially. I _did_ set you on fire after all." And I didn't regret it.

"That's right, you did," Tseng frowned. "But that's not the only thing you did that could be considered… well, evil."

"It wasn't evil. It just wasn't in the company's best interest." These people were so obsessed with image and reputation that they'd killed everyone who'd slipped out of line.

"Genesis, you started a war and killed innocent people."

"And not long after _who_ did the same?" I asked. "I didn't do anything that Shinra hadn't already. When it comes to guilt and 'evil' deeds we're one in the same. And I'm sure you've even done some things you're not proud of."

"That's still not answering my question."

"I already answered your idiotic question. I could care less about Rufus."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I was looking fro something."

"What was it? Cloud's location?"

"No, I already know where he is. I'm not helping Sephiroth. I'm working against him."

"And why would you work against your old friend?" Tseng asked, folding his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"Oh gee, I don't know. Maybe because he's insane?" I answered sarcastically, "He's targeting a helpless child. Why would I support that? Is Cloud really _that_ important? I don't think so." Honestly, one had to wonder why Sephiroth cared so much.

"Well, I can't say for sure why the president wants to help. But I assume Sephiroth didn't much like having his own pawn turn on him and take him down."

"Pawn? What do you mean by that?"

"You really don't know?" Tseng furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm guessing not, since I'm asking."

"You know that Cloud was implanted with Sephiroth's cells, right?" I nodded. "Well, in the events preceding the fall of meteor, it was a bit of a nasty surprise to find that because of that the two had a connection. Turned out Sephiroth could actually control him and-"

"You have to let me out of here," I said as I tried to stand, forgetting that that was a bad idea.

"What? Why?"

"Because of what you just said! If Sephiroth has that kind of power then they're in danger!"

"I don't think he can control Cloud anymore…" Tseng answered, confused.

"That doesn't matter! Even if the active connection is lost it's still there! And using it he can find Cloud wherever he is!"

**(A/N) **Oh gods! Sorry this took so long. And sorry it's so short… Even with the extra… But it was otherwise a pretty uneventful chapter and there's no reason for those to be too lengthy, is there? No, I'd say not. Hopefully I didn't lose too many people in the time spent waiting for this. I still feel really bad that it's a boring chapter. And after all that time. But it's leading right up to something! There's also another issue that occurred to me about a month ago but I can't really talk about it until I get to it. It'll probably become obvious what it is in the next few chapters though. Sorry again. I hate my short attention span!


	22. Cloud's Got Nothing

**(A/N)** Sorry for the thousandth time. I had to work on _"A Bit of Bad Luck"_ for a little while to feel less guilty about that but, now that I've updated that one twice, I'm free to work on this. Good thing too because this chapter brings the story out the lull it fell into.

I couldn't believe how much my arms ached. Honestly, the training wasn't that difficult and Zack didn't force me to push too far past my limits. The soreness of my limbs was my own fault. Whenever he'd told me to stop I'd kept at it. It was just so strange, like I'd done the exercises before. I couldn't exactly remember but I had to guess that they were something ShinRa had us do during training. That would explain it. Otherwise it would have to be some crazy reincarnation thing. And I had to doubt it was anything like that. Either way, I would get to thinking about things like that and lose track of time. Zack had to step in and stop me before I pulled something. I hadn't even noticed the growing pain until he did, then it all just hit me like a rock. I'd flopped over onto my back and just lay still until it became absolutely necessary to move. Of course I'd accidentally complained and been unable to stop Zack from picking me up and carrying me to my room. I'd felt so tired on the trip there, slept for six hours according to the clock, but now the muscle twinges were keeping me awake. It was impossible to get back to sleep, but it also felt like it'd be impossible to get up.

A part of me knew I'd have to try. I just didn't want to risk waking anyone up by doing so. Before I'd been too tired to notice but Zack was in the bed next to me! I was afraid that if I moved I'd wake him up! Of course, I might have to soon. He had his arms around me, couldn't tell if he'd meant to do it or if it'd ended up like this in the middle of the night but this was the current issue. Not that it was a huge problem. The warmth helped the pain a little. It still wasn't enough but it was something at least.

It was my plan to wait until everyone else was awake and just fake being asleep for as long as I could. Seemed like a good idea. And it was going well until I heard an odd scratching at the door. I was all set to ignore it when Zack released me and turned over. So, with my excuse gone, I slowly worked on getting out of bed. Something that turned out to be as difficult as I thought it would be.

The hardest part was trying to stay quiet. It was so tempting to groan but I trapped it in my throat. I couldn't wake Zack up, I didn't know what would happen if I did. This was so strange. It was obvious that Zack wasn't going to hurt me but I was afraid. This was all still so new to me. It was a wonder that I didn't react more like myself when I'd woken up, causing an uproar I mean, and I may have if I weren't so spent. I definitely wasn't expecting to wake up in his arms, you'd figure that would be cause for alarm, and it was. I just lacked the energy to act.

The scratching sound came again, it had to be Orion. I took a few steps toward the door and stopped. What if it wasn't? I glanced at the window just in case. It wasn't likely that anyone was there but I still needed to check. Zack said the disguises would help with hiding us. That should've meant that I didn't need to worry about the two with silver hair, I just got the feeling that they were still watching. There was the strangest sensation in the back of my head. It wasn't quite like the usual nagging. I couldn't explain it. Perhaps it was just the pain of my limbs? Who knew…? I was probably just tired.

Quickly deciding that I was being silly, I made my way to the door and opened it. Luckily I'd guessed right and the small chocobo stood in front of me. His eyes told me that it was urgent. Great. Now I had to go down stairs **and** outside. No, no, no. Now I was just being selfish. Orion was just coming to me so he could relieve himself without getting in trouble, like he should. And I was being a grump. It wasn't fun, not that I thought it would be, my mind was a mess. Everything felt jumbled and when I tried to focus it felt like there was a physical block preventing me from doing so. No, maybe not a block. It was almost like there was a weight in my head. A magnet?

I shook my head before stepping out into the hall. What did any of that matter? Trying to figure out exactly what was in my head wasn't helping anything. It was only wasting my energy; which was something I felt I would need if I wanted to make it down the stairs without hurting myself. My legs were complaining with every step. I kept my eyes to the floor, carefully watching my feet, to make sure I didn't trip. There was a sound behind me and Orion darted under my feet.

I felt myself start to fall forward. This was bad, I was gonna fall down the stairs! I closed my eyes but nothing happened. Somebody grabbed my arm and pulled me to their chest.

"You okay?" I heard them ask. I didn't even need to look to know it was Zack. That meant I'd failed at sneaking out and woken him up.

"I'm fine," I muttered into his shirt. I hadn't actually fallen so…

"You don't sound okay," He patted my back lightly so as to not agitate anything. And as much as I appreciated the gesture, I couldn't enjoy it.

"Too tired," I grumbled.

"Well I told you to stop. You pushed yourself too far."

"I didn't notice…" I said while stepping away from him. Orion still had urgent business after all. Taking the smell into account, it was better to go outside than clean up the mess.

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Zack grabbed my arm, "You probably shouldn't. You don't have your wig on."

"Hmm?" I'd remembered the disguises from the day before. I suppose Zack had taken off the brown wig before putting me to bed, the details were blurry but that had to be it. Yet I'd forgotten until my blonde bangs swept in front of my eyes. Zack was right. I couldn't risk going out and having someone unfriendly recognize me. Although… I'd already run around outside the day before as a blonde…

No. No, no, no. Zack was right. If I was going to think like that then why bother with the disguise at all. Might as well make use of it and hope it works. And hope that I wouldn't have to hide for much longer. What if I really did have to live the rest of my life this way? Never able to go home, was mother worried? I hadn't gotten to tell her anything. And it'd been a while since I'd last sent her any sort of message. What did she think? Or did she think much of it at all? I had left without telling her. I'd like to think she was concerned. Especially if this guy, whoever he was, had shown up looking for me.

Oh no… What if he had? What if he'd hurt her? And I had no way of knowing! Oh no, this wasn't good! I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. If she was hurt it'd be all my fault!

I looked around for Zack and found that I'd been left alone on the steps. He must've gone to let Orion out since I didn't hear the chatter anymore. Feeling the need to follow him, I went back to the room as quickly as I could and became a brunette before returning to the stairs. Going down was more difficult than I'd thought. Probably because I'd forgotten about the soreness until that point. Just moving was bad enough but going down the stairs was much worse. It felt like something in my leg was tearing. Geez. Judging by the stiffness of my arms, lifting anything was going to be impossible. Why did I do this to myself?

My whole body was pins and needles when a gloved hand came to rest on my shoulder; causing an embarrassing noise to escape me.

"What're you doing up so early?" Judging by the tone, the voice was that of an older man. Cid was his name, right? Yeah… Good thing there weren't too many people here. It was always so awkward when I called another cadet by the wrong name. This would've been no different. Or maybe worse. I'unno. The point was it would've been bad and I was happy it didn't happen. Not that I'd answered him… whoops.

"Couldn't sleep," I said quickly. My mind was a storm, as usual, but my body wasn't ready to speak in full sentences. I'd need some food in order to get out of this slump. I could function without if I got over ten hours or so but before that? Forget it. I was dead on my feet.

"You sound tired. Sure you shouldn't go back and try?"

"Nah…" I sighed. What would be the point in that? It would really only be a waste of time. And, after joining the army, I didn't really like to waste the day. Of course I had to notice that Cid was behaving strangely. He had a bit of an anxious look. Weird.

He left when a loud noise came from the direction of the kitchen. Sounded like someone had dropped something. And I coulda sworn I heard Yuffie shout and Tifa silence her. What was **everyone** doing up so early? I looked toward the door in confusion when I heard Zack come back with the chocobo. He looked oblivious. So was asking him even worth it? I decided it was.

"What's going on?"

"Huh?" He asked, ignoring the bird as it walked over his foot.

"What're they all doing in the kitchen?" I pointed behind me.

He stepped closer to the sliding door and listened, "I haven't the foggiest," He shrugged.

I narrowed my eyes. If he was lying he'd gotten good at it. It was suspicious but his expression was sincere. So I guess he really didn't know. "Whatever," I slumped my shoulders, "Is there anything to eat?" My stomach made a loud complaint following the question. I started toward the kitchen when he stopped me.

"Nope, I don't think they've gotten around to stocking this place with food yet. Why don't we go and see if some breakfast place is open?" That was even more suspicious and yet he still looked sincere.

I held my breath, trying to think of something to say. Some way to test whether or not this was an act. But I couldn't think of anything. I couldn't focus on any one topic for very long. My mind was everywhere! So I exhaled and waved my hand, as though I were pushing the topic aside, "Fine." Normally not knowing what the others were doing would bug the crap out of me but, at this point, it seemed insignificant. What was the worst thing they could be doing in there anyway? They were probably just trying to organize the place a bit and dropped something. That didn't explain the anxious behavior though… Ugh… whatever. I didn't care. Food was my main motivation right now.

Zack nodded and approached the front door. He grabbed a sword, opened the door, and looked out before signaling me to follow. I couldn't help but notice he didn't have his helmet on. He was wearing the rest of the disguise but left his head uncovered. The mask that covered the lower half of his face hung loosely around his neck but I think he was more or less hoping that no one would be all too observant at this hour.

We walked in silence, the only noise being our footsteps on the gravel path. Good thing too. I wasn't up for small talk. Not until I knew I would be getting food soon. And by soon I meant **soon**. We needed to get wherever we were going, order whatever, and be in the middle of waiting for it to come before I would be able to hold a conversation. A decent one anyway. And the last thing I needed right now was for Zack to think I was angry or something so… Food, coffee, anything that would wake me up would be great. Wait. I didn't like coffee. Urgh. Get it together. Get it together.

The first few places we checked weren't open and caused me to build up a bit of frustration. So I really kept silent for fear of lashing out at Zack. It wasn't his fault. It was the hunger combined with the weird sensation in my head that felt as though it was turning into a splitting headache. What was this? Why was it happening? Should I tell Zack? No. I didn't want to come across as whiney. And there was the possibility that he might overreact. That wouldn't be good for the headache. Best keep it to myself. But he _did_ tell me to do the opposite, right? No. No… he said don't be whiney. Okay. No whining. Got it.

"Here's a place!" Zack said, slapping a hand to my back. I grit my teeth but held in the groan. We were in public now. I wasn't gonna allow myself to make some weird noise like last time.

Almost as soon as it was mentioned, I began to smell the food inside the shop. Couldn't be sure how I stopped myself from drooling. The only thing that mattered was that I did. Maybe it was because I was too busy trying to figure out what kind of food it was based on smell. I could recognize it… sort of. And then it was mixed with a bunch of aromas I'd never encountered before.

A look inside explained it. The overhead menu was comprised of food from all over it seemed. They had things I didn't know how to pronounce and then that'd be listed next to something like pancakes. I was so hungry anything looked good. Hopefully Zack could afford all of the food in the place. I could've easily piled everything into a burrito and eaten it.

"So!" He began, "What would you like?"

"Surprise me…" I mumbled. I meant it when I'd said **anything** would do.

"Really? You sure?"

"Yeah, get whatever."

"Okay, two orders of whatever with a side of surprise." He said, jokingly. The look on his face when the server nodded was so funny it made me smile. I would've laughed but… well I kinda laughed. Half a laugh. Zack just shrugged and took a seat on one of the stools in front of the counter. "I'm up for just about anything I guess."

Ah, so he _did_ feel the same way I did. He was just better at appearing to be alive in the morning. Impressive. How did he do it? How did anyone do it? It must've been something so simple I was overlooking it. That or I just didn't feel like doing it. Could've been either. Could've been both. I still didn't really care enough. I just sat next to him. He put his hand on mine with that goofy grin on his face; all I could do was shake my head. Zack never failed to make me happy. And if he did I couldn't think of it right now.

No, at the moment I found myself staring at that scar. Had I already asked him about that? And, more importantly, did he give me a straight answer? Probably not. It went along with how his whole appearance had changed shortly after the first time I'd seen him. He'd even gone up a class! How did that work? I hadn't heard anything about it. Not that they kept cadets up to date on everything. But a promotion like that was usually big. That was typically in those news letters the company would mail everyone… Come to think of it, I hadn't received anything from them in a while. And those things were at the very least weekly. I hadn't seen any vehicles from the company either. Only that helicopter back at the Gold Saucer. The Gold Saucer that was located near the absent prison. Everywhere I'd gone had some significant changes about it. Not that I'd done much travelling before. But there were some things people just knew about. And now we were in Wutai and I hadn't heard anything about any battles. No excess of Wutai Troopers, no one from the ShinRa army, and there certainly were never any sounds of gunfire. Not even from a distance. So what exactly was going on here?

"Whatcha thinking about?" Zack asked while twisting up a discarded straw wrapper.

"A lot of things," I answered absently, "But it's nothing." Not like he'd explain anything anyway. He'd probably say something along the lines of 'that's weird, I never noticed' or 'well things change.' And then I'd get indignant because these people thought I was simple and then it'd just be awkward. It wasn't worth it to ruin things with questions that wouldn't be answered.

"You aren't depressing yourself I hope."

"No, not really." Though now that he had me thinking about it- No. I didn't want to do that. It was just so hard not to get depressed when thinking about the guy and the goons that worked for him. Since when did I get involved in anything like that? It was like there had been some lapse in time. Like I'd blacked out for months and done all of these stupid things to get myself in trouble.

Gaia! Was that it? Did I black out and do something I shouldn't have? I did inexplicably wake up in that wasteland!

I jumped slightly when Zack put a hand on my shoulder, "You alright? You're kind of pale."

"What did I do?" I asked. The thought of blacking out scared me. And if that was what happened… would I do it again? Did I hurt people?

"What do you mean?" Zack furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why was I in that desert when you found me?"

"I don't know. You didn't say."

Well yeah, because he knocked me out shortly after he found me. After that I had no idea what was talked about. That might've been why he did it. But wait. How could he have known that I fall asleep so easily with that trick? Perhaps I was over thinking it. Or was I just now thinking clearly? And did I realize how dumb I sounded? This was ridiculous.

"What're you talking about?" Zack laughed, "You're acting all nervous."

"Because I feel like I'm missing something."

"If you are it's nothing big," He said while glancing at the eavesdropping server, "I would've told you if you were."

"Would you?" My eyes narrowed. These people had no problem keeping secrets.

"I wouldn't keep something like that from you. So what's going on? Why're you acting like this?"

I didn't know what to say. Or whether or not I should say anything at all. I did feel something like a gap. But I also felt like I was acting like a lunatic. I didn't know what was going on; it felt like a mood swing of some sort. From the hunger perhaps? Or maybe it was the oncoming headache from that pulling sensation in the back of my mind… I shook my head, "It's nothing."

He looked like he wanted to argue but didn't, "If you say so," He sighed.

"I'm sorry. I just have no idea what I'm thinking right now." The headache seared and I put a hand to my head. I looked up at him in time for his face to flush of any color. That was strange. What was wrong with him now? He brushed it off before I could even ask.

"Don't worry about it. I just thought your eyes- Now I'm seeing things." He scratched the back of his head and looked at the counter. Had my eyes really done something that freaky? I knew they were a light blue but so were his. The presence of mako made the eyes of a SOLDIER practically glow so what could mine have done to make Zack act like that?

Before anything could get weirder the food came. I'd half expected it to be something with tentacles but it was just pancakes. Two plate-sized pancakes. If I weren't so hungry I'd say that might've been too much food but that wasn't the case. It was only making me worry because things like pancakes felt as though they expanded in the stomach or something. But I couldn't really remember if they burned off quickly like Wutain food. Meh, it shouldn't really be a problem as long as I ate all of it and didn't stop when I felt full. Although I didn't want to make myself sick either.

Why was I wasting time thinking about it and not just eating anyhow? I could see that Zack had already dumped syrup on his and was devouring them. I quickly followed his example and was grateful for it. Within minutes I could feel the gears begin turning. They didn't taste any different than regular pancakes but my mind was telling me they were the best things I'd ever eaten.

"So are you feeling better?" Zack asked when I was about halfway done. I noted that his food was gone but didn't give it much thought.

"I'm alright." I answered after taking a drink from the glass in front of me. A part of me wondered when it'd gotten there and another part of me was still too one-track to care. It was true that I felt I should be a little cautious but not about something Zack didn't appear to be worried about. He had a glass in front of him too. Though it didn't stop me from taking a look around while I was thinking about it.

"Don't worry, Cloud. I'm keeping watch."

"Huh?"

"I said don't worry," He reached for my head but stopped. Ah, so the wig was preventing him from ruffling my hair. I didn't know whether that was good or bad.

"I'm trying not to," I said while continuing to look, "Believe me."

"Well you can't be trying too hard. You're still glancing around everywhere." He began looking where I was looking. "Do you know how easy it is to pick silver haired guys out of a crowd? Especially Loz? The guy doesn't exactly excel in the methods of stealth."

"What about Yazoo?"

"Yazoo's easy enough to deal with once you've spotted him," Zack shrugged.

"That wasn't my experience…"

"Cloud," He sighed, "You were unarmed and he exploited that." What he was saying made sense and yet I felt like he was lying. Or maybe he was just trying to avoid telling me what I already knew, I was weak. Who knew if that was still the case? I'd trained a bit and found that I could wield a sword fairly easily. But when you pit a sword against a gun… Well you'd figure a gun would come out on top.

"Is there a trick to Yazoo that I should know?" Yazoo being the only one I was concerned with. I'd already figured Loz out. He was easy to outsmart and he seemed to be fairly sympathetic from what I remembered. I dunno it just felt like he wouldn't be so quick to hurt me.

"Hmm…" He pondered for a moment, "Yazoo relies heavily on his speed and agility in order to evade close range attacks, he then strikes from a distance, albeit he's a skilled marksman and does not easily miss." He drummed his fingers, "He fights well with Loz, whose melee attacks make it difficult for the opponent to dodge themselves. So I would say avoid a fight with the two of them at once. Yazoo alone can be tricky but it's best to try and stay close."

Just in case, "What about Loz?"

"Loz…" He appeared to be analyzing the two's fighting styles right then and there, "Loz has a tendency to treat things like a game. He'll toy with his opponent and make it look like they can win. He's dangerous when he gets serious, this of course only happening with prompting. But he's incredibly strong, even when compared to a member of SOLDIER. His primary weapon allows him to release jolts of electricity, usually into the body of his opponent. You've already experienced his speed." Whoa… That was a lot to take in. Maybe I'd underestimated them. I'd underestimated Loz at least.

But wait, "Have you fought these guys before?" How did he know so much? Were they some notorious group that I'd gotten myself mixed up with?

"Once. But I've heard stories from others who've had run-ins with them."

"Really," Something about that didn't feel right. On another note, it _did_ sound like they were a renowned group that I'd somehow managed to anger. How did I do that? I really wanted to know. It was bugging me that no one would tell me. Did anyone know? I felt like these were things I'd already troubled myself with but how could I ignore this bizarre circumstance?

Zack had told me that it wasn't necessarily something I did but more that the guy in charge was insane. A madman with a fixation on me. It'd made sense then and it still explained it I guess. I just thought I would've had to do something that was news worthy. Something that would tell him that I existed. Otherwise, how did he know about me well enough to target me? It wouldn't be the first time I'd managed to make an instantaneous impression on someone. That was the way it usually went with me. But this was making me wonder just how many people I'd made an impression on without knowing it. The thought made my skin crawl. There'd always been people who made me uneasy, ever since that man when I was a kid. There just seemed to be something about me that got me unwanted attention.

"It's nothing the others can't handle," He nodded as he thought, "And I'll step in if the man himself shows up."

"Have you fought this mysterious leader before?" Whoever the guy was.

"I have. And I don't advise trying to take him on yourself," He waited for me to start eating before continuing, "He's the leader for a reason. And only a few have ever matched him in strength."

"Were you one of the few?"

The look on his face wasn't what I was hoping for. I knew before he even answered, "No," He then took on a look of confidence, "But that was years ago. I've got to be more than a match for him now!"

"You think he hasn't improved as well?" Honestly, what would he be doing all this time?

"Hmm…" I could at least say it looked as though he'd thought of that before. That was good. "I still have to try. Can't run forever, right?"

"Right," Could this really work? I know I'd just said I didn't want to hide forever but I didn't want Zack or anyone else to get hurt either.

"I figure we've got some time while they search elsewhere," He shrugged, "Plus we're in disguise. That gives the others and I time to figure out a plan."

"A plan that includes me just running and hiding?" Not that that would be a bad idea. I could see his reasoning; it'd be stupid for me to be out in the open during a fight. That didn't stop me from feeling a bit useless and in the position of a damsel or something. I understood though, I was weak and I'd most likely be in the way.

"I'm not sure what your part will be, but don't hide," He answered, "Hiding often boxes you in. If they found you you'd have nowhere else to go."

I guess that was true. Never would've thought of that before it was too late. I didn't exactly know what I was supposed to do if I couldn't hide though. I couldn't just keep running. I'd eventually slow down and be caught anyway. Wow. Was there a way to get through this or were we ultimately gonna lose? That's what it was beginning to feel like.

"It'll be alright," He said before paying for the food, "Try not to think about it too much. Things will work out, they always do."

They did? That hadn't really been my experience. Things tended to bite me whenever they could and, lately, there'd been plenty of opportunities. Zack seemed confident that we'd be fine and maybe he was right. What was I saying? Of course he was right! He hadn't steered us wrong yet. Sure there had been close calls but that was because of me. Falling outta the airlock wasn't part of his plan.

"Let's just try to have fun today," He smiled, "Who knows how long we'll have to relax. Take advantage of it while we can."

"I don't know, Zack. What if-"

"Nah! Don't worry about it," He put a finger to my lips, "You don't smile when you worry."

My expression went blank. He obviously wanted me to laugh or something but it was just so… Well… If Zack said it'd be fine then it'd be fine I guess. It _did_ take a lot of energy to worry about all of the hypothetical things crossing my mind. I found it difficult to look on the bright side at the moment. And I'd been described as a pessimist before. Though never due to a situation as serious as this. It was usually a joke or something. Now it was life or death! How did they expect me to respond? Just not think about it? Let them worry about it? Well if they wanted me to do that then they shouldn't have told me in the first place. Of course it would've become obvious that something was going on when I got attacked out on the street shortly after. And then I would've had to find out from Yazoo and Loz and there'd be an even bigger trust issue, okay. I could see why they had to tell me now. But, for whatever reason, they only told me what I absolutely had to know. As if this man's identity would hurt me somehow. Wouldn't it be better for me to just know and have the time to get past it?

"Just tell me one thing?" I asked. Zack looked confused, perhaps trying to figure out what I was going to say before I said it, "How am I supposed to avoid this guy if I don't know what he looks like?" Yet another question I wasn't sure if I'd asked before, or even how many times I'd asked it if I had.

"Well that's why I'm going to stick by you. So I can tell you if need be."

He got up to leave but I was hesitant to follow. That didn't sound like a good idea to me. I couldn't exactly figure out why. Something about it just felt like someone should've said something against it. There were others involved in his decision making, why didn't anyone say something against this? Then again, I couldn't put my finger on why it was a bad idea. Maybe they couldn't either. And if there was no reason to tell me…

My eyebrows furrowed, I wanted to say more but I knew how it would go. There was nothing I could do. No matter what I tried they'd all dodge my questions. I was expected to tell them everything, not keep secrets. And yet I didn't get the same courtesy from them. I'd told them this and how unfair it was, they still refused to budge. So I'd just have settle for now. None of them were doing it to hurt me, I knew that much. It was the opposite in fact. They all thought they were protecting me by keeping me in the dark. I would just have to keep telling myself that.

I looked toward the door to see that Zack was waiting for me. There was no look of malice about him, no triumph in deceit, he only looked concerned. Remembering how I still didn't want to get into an argument with anyone, I got up and walked out. He obviously didn't want to get into anything today either. I had to wonder why today was turning out to be so important to everyone. As far as I knew it was just a normal day. Well. As normal as things usually got recently.

"Is there anywhere you wanted to go? Anything you wanted to do?"

"I dunno. I don't know the area," I shrugged.

"That's right," He stopped and thought, "I've only ever been here on missions."

Yeah, and it probably wasn't a good idea to visit any war sites. If there was a war going on at least. Going there to see would be the easiest way to find out, but I had to figure Zack was smarter than that. Then again, he didn't need to be too much smarter. I was only a cadet. I'd never been out to Wutai so I had no clue where the battles were held.

"There's no harm in winging it."

Winging it? Did he seriously want to just wander around in a strange land? What if we stumbled on something? Some secret base of operations for anti-ShinRa movements. Sounded too risky to me, we probably should just go back to the house. "I don't think that's a good idea, let's just go."

"Oh c'mon Cloud, it'll be fine," He offered me his hand, "We won't go too far."

It still didn't sound good. I was getting a bad feeling. My mind was screaming at me to demand to go back but he looked like he really wanted to be out and about. And I did the other day, though I didn't have that feeling the other day. It wouldn't be fair of me to make Zack do something based on a feeling, right? So I ignored it and took his hand. After all, what could go wrong? He was a SOLDIER. Not many people could mess with him and come out of it clean. Except maybe another SOLDIER. But they were on the same team, why would one attack another?

We followed a small path out into the forest. Surprisingly, there weren't any monsters on the path. Before we'd gone into the forest Zack had mentioned monsters as though he'd been expecting it. I looked to him questioningly but he just shrugged.

"Maybe they cleared them out," He said while continuing on.

Once we got out of the woods there was a trail leading up into the mountains. My concerns were forgotten when we encountered a few monsters. Nothing serious, just some strange insects and Razor Weeds. Zack made quick work of it, slicing up the insects. It was almost frightening how easily he dealt with them. The Razor Weeds moved more quickly and were lower to the ground. He got rid of two of them by casting Fira while the third scrambled towards me. I stepped back.

"What do I do?" I asked, Zack just stood by.

"I don't think it'll put up much of a fight. There's no need to kill it, just scare it away."

Scare it away? How was I supposed to do that? I looked around for a potential weapon but couldn't even find a branch. Zack folded his arms. Fine, I could do this by myself. I wanted to prove I could be useful, right? And this was just one Razor Weed. One! I jumped at it and it looked like it would run but then it started making a high-pitched noise and skittering around. I looked back over at Zack who was mouthing the words 'kick it'. Kick it? Wouldn't that hurt it? It eventually didn't matter, the Razor Weed jumped up onto my foot and tried to crawl up my leg. Instinctively, I flung it and sent it tumbling down the trail.

I quickly caught up to Zack who was holding in laughter, "Nice one."

"I don't have much experience with this," I frowned, "And you have a weapon."

"I know, I know," He patted me on the back, "Let's keep going."

"Hold on," I looked up the mountain trail anticipating even stronger fiends.

"You still sore?"

"No, not really." I didn't know exactly when that had stopped but I could hardly feel the aches that'd been so prominent this morning. "Um… Didn't you say there were Rapps up there?"

"I'll handle the more powerful enemies."

Well that was obvious. I mean, what would he have expected me to do otherwise? It was what could happen if we got outnumbered that worried me. Could he really be sure he could protect us both during each encounter? What if he couldn't? We were far away from the village, no one would know if we got hurt. At least not for a few hours and by then it might be too late! That feeling I'd had all day was getting worse, we should go back. At the very least get closer to town. I tried to say something but Zack turned to continue up the mountain. I bit my bottom lip and contemplated going back on my own. Although I knew the only thing that would do was cause a lot of trouble. I could potentially get yelled at by a lot of people, not to mention it would hurt Zack's feelings if I ditched him.

I heard his footsteps stop before he turned back to see me standing there. Maybe I was just being silly. No, I **was** being silly. This feeling was all in my head. I shook it off and followed him up the trail, "Your head is everywhere today," He smiled.

"I know," I nodded, "But I'll try to focus."

"It's fine, considering how much I space out…" He stopped briefly to effortlessly knock out more monsters. And it continued on like that for the rest of the trip up to the top. We'd progress a few yards, get jumped by monsters, Zack would beat them in a matter of seconds, and then we'd move on while chatting about something.

He glanced back, "We made pretty good time."

"What's up here?" I asked. My legs were beginning to feel sore again. Just going up was bad enough but there were figures carved into the mountainside that we had to hike around; needless to say, it made things a little more complicated.

"Nothing really," Zack shrugged.

He helped me up over the last ledge and we both stood overlooking the statues as well as what appeared to be all of Wutai. The sun was low above the horizon and illuminated the village with an otherworldly glow. It was a breathtaking view. Of course the thought made me nervous when I thought of just how high up we were. I didn't want to think about the possibility of falling but hey, there it was. I was so negative…

"Looks like there are finally some people meandering around down there," He pointed down toward the village. "Wonder if they even notice us up here."

"Probably not," I sighed, "We're not doing anything to draw attention to ourselves."

After looking down for too long, I sat before I could start feeling dizzy. Zack sat next to me in a more relaxed manner. A moment passed and he casually put his arm around my shoulder. I looked up at him but didn't complain. It made me feel more secure to think that he'd be holding onto me in case I slipped. I leaned in and began to think that maybe it was more than that. I'd kissed him before, if that counted, and thought that'd established so sort of relationship. Something that was beyond friends. But then I turned around and pretty much treated him like a friend didn't I? That wasn't exactly what I'd wanted. I did want it to be more but I just didn't know what to do. I'd been through this dozens of times before, he was making it so I was in control. I'd never been in control of anything before. How was I supposed to know how to initiate anything? Just do it? I couldn't. So we'd been at a stand still, with the both of us waiting to make a move. How much longer would it go on? It was true that I was afraid of some things that generally occurred later, was that why I couldn't bring myself to do anything past holding hands? I had to be making this more difficult than it needed to be.

I looked back at Zack, intending to start a conversation, and stopped. He was looking at me the way he usually did before someone came storming into the room. I wasn't sure what my expression said to him but I had to guess it wasn't one that discouraged him. I didn't feel like I was hiding my nervousness and confusion. My heart was racing and my face must've been pink.

The next thing I knew his lips were on mine. And it was… gentle. A soft touch that made my stomach flutter. My head was spinning by the time he pulled away. I felt so light, it was a good thing he had a hold of me. It felt like I was steaming; if I was pink before I was beet red now! But I wasn't angry or upset like I usually was when someone tried this. It felt nice, warm even, and left a tingling feeling on my lips. I almost wanted to feel it again.

Perhaps he knew it, he looked like he was more than willing to lean in for another when his phone sounded. He quickly checked it and got up, helping me to my feet as well. "Let's get going."

"To where?" I didn't feel ready to leave yet. My limbs were like jelly.

"Nowhere specific," He shrugged. Fair enough, it was probably a bad idea to stay up here anyway.

The trip down was a blur. I had to guess there were monsters, they didn't attack though. Maybe Zack scared them off on the trip up? The haze was preventing me from caring, I had to focus most of my energy on staying upright and not tumbling down the mountainside. When we reached the forest that feeling came back, only this time the pull felt stronger. There were still no monsters and it was quiet. Very quiet. There weren't even any birds or other animals that I could hear. I looked to see that Zack was on edge too. His eyes were warily looking on either side of the path. The difference between us in this situation was that he appeared to reason it away shortly after, I didn't. But I told myself to trust him. His intuition musta been more fine tuned than mine. I had to do something however, so I moved closer to Zack and tried my best to ignore everything. Closing my eyes even seemed like it'd help but it wasn't a good idea. Stupid nagging feeling. Why couldn't I-

"Get down!"

Huh? What just happened? Zack just pushed me all of the sudden.

I lost my footing and ended up in the brush before I heard something collide with metal. Was there some sort of monster attacking? I opened my eyes and saw two human forms, one had to be Zack but they were moving too quickly for me to make out any clear details. It all happened so quickly. I could only hear the ring from each impact. There was a flash accompanying each movement of the weapons, making things even more difficult to see. I tried to get up but only succeeding in falling further into the bush and having a sharp twig jab me in the back. I couldn't stop myself from crying out and, unfortunately, heard the sounds of fighting stop. Someone grabbed me and helped me up before I opened my eyes.

My eyebrows furrowed. I wasn't expecting to see the General. He must've shown up to help.

But wait… how could he have known? We were halfway across the planet and I didn't hear Zack contact anybody. Not only that, but he seemed off. He was smirking in a way that made me feel uneasy. Then again, the one time I saw the man he was at orientation. I couldn't really make much of a distinction from that, still. The look was making me feel less ridiculous for hiding from this guy in the halls.

"Cloud no!" Zack shouted, "Run away!"

"What?"

"It's him, Cloud! He's the guy!"

What guy? What was he- **The** guy? The General was the one who had the inexplicable fixation? The reason we were running, the one who sent Yazoo and Loz after me, that guy? My jaw dropped and suddenly I was reminded of that weird dream. The older me had told me, _be wary of the General_, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I glanced down; the man still had a hold of my wrist. Shit!

"Your warning is coming a bit late, Zackary," He pulled me closer and slipped the wig off my head. "Did you really think this old trick would work?" I felt his fingers running through my hair; an action that Zack frequented but now it felt wrong. It made me wake up and try to get away, the attempt only made him laugh.

That got to Zack more than it got to me, he ran toward us with an angry look, "Let him go you son of a bitch!"

I felt my feet leave the ground momentarily before I was thrown back down with his boot rested firmly on my back. It was a little confusing as to why he was doing that but I figured it out once Zack attacked. In order to block the General had to put more of his weight on the foot that was standing on me. It hurt but I knew it could get worse. And as the fight went on it steadily did. He always put his weight on his right, the side I was under, even when he didn't have to. It got to a point where I was afraid my spine was going to break. It took one last strike from Zack and I had to scream to get them to stop in time.

Instantly, Zack stopped and gave me a shocked yet apologetic look. The General took advantage of the confusion and slugged him in the jaw. I clawed at the dirt when Zack staggered backward. There was blood at the corner of his mouth and it was my fault for acting so dumbfounded. He grit his teeth and came back for what looked like another onslaught. The General prepared to block but this time, instead of attacking, Zack used his own blade to push Masamune aside and tackled. The force sent the both of them flying backward. I scrambled away once I was free and made a break for it. I stopped not three steps after and looked back. They were still fighting each other, seeming to have forgotten about the swords, the punches looked like they'd send a normal person flying though. It looked like Zack was actually winning until I saw him get pinned. It didn't seem necessary but the General continued to hit him. It was horrifying.

Feeling frantic, I looked around while trying to think of something I could do to help. He told me to run… but he was in trouble. I **had** to help him! I didn't want him to die!

I started throwing anything and everything I could find; mostly rocks and sticks. My heart sank when hardly any hit him, or if they did he didn't show it. It wasn't until I threw a particularly large stone that he looked in my direction. My heart was pounding and my stomach was in knots. Crazy or not, throwing rocks at a superior officer had to have consequences. And I was hoping it'd be handled by someone else because the look in his eyes was one of murderous intent. I was caught in it, almost felt like I couldn't breathe. The man looked as though he was going to come after me until Zack repaid him one punch in the jaw.

That caused them to go back to wrestling. I exhaled and jumped through the brush, searching for something. Also keeping an eye on the fight, I gasped when the General wrapped his hand around Zack's neck. Not good! I ripped a branch off the nearest tree and ran back. The next thing I knew the branch was splintering over the General's head.

For whatever reason I expected it to take him down and yet I wasn't surprised when all it did was stun him for mere seconds. It was enough for Zack to push him away but still, I wanted to be more useful than that. Of course I guess I couldn't expect to be more useful than a SOLDIER operative. Not without becoming one myself anyway. Hearing the sound of metal being dragged through dirt I decided that if nothing else I could get out of the way.

Zack stepped in front of me as the General reached out at nothing. Then Masamune, wherever it had landed, was back in his hand. I didn't know he could do that! Since when could he do that?

"Zack," I whispered loudly, "Maybe we should both get outta here…"

"I'm working on it," He answered.

"You should probably stop working so hard," The older man sighed, "Because ultimately one of you is coming with me, and one of you will die."

He looked and sounded so confident I was believing it. I swallowed a lump in my throat and stepped further away. If I could be anywhere else in the world right now- But I had no choice but to stay right here and hope Zack could take the General. As impossible as that sounded. How could I not see this coming? With the way people described him and how powerful they were, I'd thought they were on the same level as the General but I'd never thought that it _was_ the General! What did I do to make him angry? I hadn't ever spoken a word to him!

The metallic sounds had started again and though I was looking in the direction of the fight I wasn't paying attention. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. This all made no sense. I knew I'd probably said that before but now it made even less sense! Was it the same thing that got everyone else so angry with me? Maybe I was so weak that it infuriated or frustrated him to the point of wanting to kill me! But why? He hated me. I couldn't believe it. My hero hated me!

I blinked when there came a bunch of flashing lights. Things were moving too fast again. A puff of dust rose up in front of me and everything came to a halt. Waving a hand to try and clear the air, I looked down at my feet. My heart jumped up into my throat and my eyes felt hot; Zack was in a bloody heap on the ground.

"Zack!" I all but fell down and shook him. "Zack no! Get up!" I tried to pull him up but he was too heavy, all I was doing was getting blood all over my hands. "Zack! We've got to get out of here! Zack!"

"That's enough of that," I felt a gloved hand on my shoulder.

"Is he alive?" I didn't care who I was talking to at the time, I just wanted to know. My eyes darkened when I heard the other laugh again.

"I would guess not. I was intending to kill him after all," His grip went back to my wrist. I struggled but couldn't help but be yanked to my feet. He tried to walk. I dug my heels into the dirt and tried to root myself to the spot. It wasn't working as well as I'd hoped but it did slow him down. It also left a very obvious trail, or at least giving whoever came through here next an idea of what happened. "Cloud, don't be difficult."

"Then let me go!" Sweet Shiva I was yelling at the General… Not that he cared. He simply lifted me off the ground and out of the rut I'd dug. I was turned around a brought closer to his body, probably to try and stop me from fighting. "No!" It wouldn't work! I jabbed my elbow into his gut and stomped on his foot. He released me with a groan, obviously not expecting that. Granted, it wasn't a tactic I would normally use but this was a special case.

I ran back toward Zack. He had to be alive! He couldn't be dead, this was wrong! M-Maybe this was all a nightmare. I passed out back on top of the mountain and my mind was putting random figures, like the General, into a crazy dream! Aw, who was I kidding? This all felt way too real to be a dream… "Ow!" What was th- I didn't think my eyes could be wider. I'd bumped into the General! But he was… And I… How did he do that? His expression was terrifying. I backed away when he grew a large black wing from his right shoulder. I'd definitely never heard he could do that! Oh man, it only reminded me and made me wish Kozue was there! He would've beaten sense into the General and then Zack never would've gotten hurt! Wait! He wasn't blocking the path anymore! I could go for help!

I tried to run the opposite direction but he grabbed me before I could take a step. And this time fighting wasn't working at all. All I could do was kick as he stepped into an opening in the trees. There was a jolt that made me close my eyes and then the ground was gone. "No! Zack!"

**(A/N)** Oh no! Cloud's been kidnapped! But I think most, if not all, of you were expecting this. I wasn't going to put an Author's Note after this chapter but I felt I should warn you that the next chapter is going to be another one with short segments from multiple people. I know, I know. But there are things that need to be covered before Cloud continues.


	23. Necessary Filler

**(A/N)** I had no idea which order to put them in so I went alphabetically.

Angeal~

There was definitely something strange going on. I'd ended up somewhere else when I'd brought Cloud through the veil. It was similar to where we'd just come from and yet one of the Ancients was waiting for us, so we couldn't have gotten lost. I had no idea if it was possible to get lost but there were some strange things going on lately. At the sight of the Ancient Cloud began to get restless again. I knew he was afraid of them, he never said so but he didn't have to, and there was no reason to be afraid. They were peaceful and wise. Granted, they could be strict and harsh but it was usually what had to be done.

"Glad to see you found him," They said. I was actually having difficulty deciding if they were a man or a woman and the voice didn't help. But whoever they were they didn't question why Cloud was bound to my back. In fact, they released him with a snap of their fingers.

"What was so important that you felt the need to abduct me?" The blonde asked indignantly.

"We did not want to resort to such an action but you were not giving us much choice."

I only watched while Cloud glared, "I'll stand by my previous question," He said.

"You are not permitted to enter people's dreams and cannot be allowed to continue."

"What? Why?" I'd suspected something like that.

"Your existence is not like ours. You are more than energy. It is believed that you could potentially do harm if you continue to jump in and out of dreams. The mind can only take so much and your current mortal form is fragile. You see, both of the two visits you made your mind experienced elevated levels of duress. With each appearance he began to wonder who you were and should he ever find out-"

"I've got it," Cloud sighed, "His- My mind would be shattered, right?"

"Yes."

"Does Sephiroth know that?" I asked, "Is that why he planted all of those traps?"

"What traps?" The Ancient frowned.

"The darkness, the box, that red stuff…" I listed the things I'd encountered.

"Ah yes," They nodded, "The encasement had originally been our doing. It was a precaution against this very occurrence and yet it was supposed to become dormant once the contained breaks free. The rest is due to Sephiroth's presence in Cloud's mind. It is the remnant of the connection that once gave him control over his actions."

"But he doesn't control me anymore!" Cloud blurted out.

The Ancient only gave him recognition with a slight smile. "Perhaps not. You, as you are now, are able to resist his power of suggestion. However, that does not mean you are no longer connected. A part of his very being is within you and always will be, no matter how weak it becomes. Your power is due to the presence of what they called S-cells that contained _his_ genetic material. With that lingering link he was able to utilize our containment to try and trap you, either one of you. He would have benefitted regardless. We are not sure how he was able to set those red strands within. Though we do know that the wave of darkness was his way of keeping his target from knowing the truth."

"So why did you have Angeal bring me here? Is this another attempt at 'containing' me?"

"It is regrettable but we must."

"What?" I asked before Cloud could. They were going to lock him up somewhere? Geez, what had I said earlier about them being harsh? The Ancient looked at me before guiding me back from wherever we had been, leaving Cloud behind. "Are you seriously going to abandon him there?"

"Unfortunately." They nodded, "Depending on how the events unfold he may have to stay there."

"Meaning?"

"If Zack succeeds then he will return to be with the living. If Zack fails then the Cloud we just left will essentially cease to exist and have to remain in that pocket dimension."

"If he succeeds… What happens to the Cloud that's with him now?" This was something I hadn't thought of. Did Zack know he could potentially kill the mature Cloud? Would the other suffer the same fate if Zack brought this Cloud back?

"Interesting inquiry. We had not thought to look into that. One moment," They stopped and put a hand to their head, "Oh my…"

"What is it?" Usually the hand to the head meant they were receiving a message from the others and their reaction to whatever they'd just been told was cause for worry. As though I wasn't already at my limit on that.

"It seems that what we had feared has come to pass," They answered, "Sephiroth has bested Zack and made off with the Cloud in question."

I'd barely heard the end of their thought before I ran to the mirror. How could this have happened? I thought I'd been careful in preventing this! What was Genesis doing?

Quickly, I found that he'd been caught himself and groaned. This was becoming an even bigger mess than I'd thought. I had to do something, so I located Zack. My eyes were not prepared to see the bleeding mess that Vincent was carrying. But since he was still there and not back here had to mean he was alive, looking close showed that the cuts weren't too deep. He was only unconscious. And though it pained me the only thing I could do was contact Genesis. He needed to get the Turks and Shinra to let him go so he could be free to help the others.

Genesis~

I don't think Tseng took my warning very seriously. He'd left shortly after, not that I'd expected to hear anything about it if they'd discussed it. That'd be what they called a _need to know_ basis and I wasn't someone who needed to know. At least not as far as they were concerned. And trying to convince them of my position in this was going just as well as it had been. Honestly, if they were going to kill me I wish they'd get it over with. Of course I knew that if I happened to be killed then my usefulness to Angeal would be spent. Something that would be less than pleasing for both of us.

Speaking of Angeal, I'd been expecting a contact from him that would probably be some sort of disappointed mother speech. I should've stuck with what he'd told me to do and if he was aware of my current inconvenience he would undoubtedly fail in resisting the urge to tell me he told me so or something. And yet it hadn't come. After he'd taken the time to talk to me almost every day, this absence was unsettling. Perhaps something had happened to him as well. But what could've happened to him in the Lifestream? What could happen to a dead guy period? Was there such a thing as death for the dead? Quite a mystery, with the answer being obvious. When you were dead you were dead, there was nothing more. The concept was probably something that Cloud would come up with, _super death_ or some such nonsense. Just thinking about it allowed me to picture him saying it and it was… cute. I guess. Strange, I'd just about detested him when I first met him. Now I found him funny. He was at the very least more bearable to be around.

I looked up when I heard movement coming from the upper floors. What was going on? I pondered the possibilities until I felt a familiar presence, about time.

"_What're you doing?"_ Angeal shouted. I jumped slightly, not expecting to be yelled at.

"_I think it's obvious."_

"_Well then find some way to get out of there!"_

"_It's alright. I'm starting to doubt that they'll execute me."_ If they were going to wouldn't they have done it by now? Otherwise they were only giving me more time to find a weak point in their prison.

"_No! It's Cloud! Sephiroth has Cloud!"_

"_What? When did that happen?"_ Kadaj had made it seem like Sephiroth was nowhere near accomplishing that!

"_He made off with him a few hours ago," _He must've been watching.

"_Is Zack still alive?"_

"_Fortunately yes. He's been beaten pretty badly but he's alive. But he needs your help now more than ever! Why haven't you escaped yet?"_

"_I'm injured,"_ I answered bluntly. That was the chief reason why. If it weren't for my broken ankle I would've tried just about everything by now.

"_Can't you use magic without materia?"_

"_Healing an area like a joint is tricky,"_ I frowned, _"I'm better with destructive magicks anyway."_

"_Okay, but you need to get out of there. I don't care how you do it but get to Zack and the others. And no more of that anonymous, silent hero stuff. Just get there and help them. They could really use an ace right now."_

He left before I could remark on the ace comment. Not to mention before giving me suggestions on how to get myself out of this. Oh well. I could do this, problem solving was a strength of mine. Of course I couldn't do anything if none of them came down here. It wouldn't be a problem for too much longer. The footsteps upstairs were more rushed now, frenzied really. Perhaps they'd heard the grim news.

All I had to do was wait a moment while they brought the paraplegic to the dungeon. Yes, the president and all **four** of the Turks. How depressing. There used to be how many of those guys? Tch, they must've gone soft at some point.

"Cloud's been kidnapped," Rufus said in the usual tone, "Where did Sephiroth take him?"

"Ah, I see. You still think I'm working with Sephiroth, so you think I know where his base of operations is." Pretty sound reasoning. _If_ I had been in cohorts with the psycho how could I not know where he would take the poor kid? "Too bad for you I **don't** know."

"So you're going to stick with that story? Okay, but why should we trust you?"

"I'm not asking for your trust, I'm stating a simple fact, we're on the same side." I rolled my eyes and decided to try and think of how to answer his question. Why should they trust me? "Okay, allow me to answer your question with another question. Why would I let him go if I had him?"

"Pardon?" Tseng interjected.

"Back at the Gold Saucer, I was the one who liberated Cloud from your less than competent employee."

"You're the one who stole him?" Reno shouted, "I got reamed for that!"

"And you deserved it," I shot back, "You left him alone giving opportunity to a gang of thugs who were planning Minerva knows what, they could've taken him and been long gone. And then where would anyone be?" I asked; their faces were blank. "No, I did you all a favor. I took him away from that horrid place and brought him back to the others. Now tell me, why would I do that if I were one of Sephiroth's agents?"

"Hmm," Rufus appeared to be thinking it through, "Do you have any proof?"

"Other than being on tape shot by the security camera, no. But why would I know about it otherwise?"

"True," The blonde man sighed.

"I d'no," Reno spoke up again, "It could've been a ploy to gain everyone's trust."

I raised a brow, "Are you serious? You don't think that's a bit to cliché? You think I would go through a long, drawn out plot like that to ultimately accomplish something that was so simple as just taking him right then and there? Do you know how stupid you are?"

"Hey!" The redhead glared and stepped forward.

"That is enough out of you," Tseng put a hand out to stop him, "Leave this to the president."

Rufus nodded, "Thank you, Tseng." He turned and looked me directly in the eye, "Do you work for Sephiroth?"

I maintained eye contact for a moment before stating the obvious, "No."

He narrowed his eyes but moved on nonetheless. "The other day you warned Tseng about the possibility of this happening. We failed to act on it, now this has occurred. If we were to release you would you help in rectifying this mess?"

"Absolutely," I answered. This mission of sorts was the only thing I had left; I wouldn't allow myself to fail. I would give it my all. Angeal was counting on me. No, it was more than that. I was actually worried about Cloud's wellbeing. Sephiroth may be too far gone, he could really hurt him. Kill him even.

"No matter how dangerous it could be?" Rufus added.

I did my best to stand. I'd killed my parents, pushed one of my only friends toward what could be viewed as suicide, and I'd driven the other to madness; in my mind, this shouldn't have even been a question. So I replied with the utmost sincerity, "I have nothing to lose."

I couldn't read him from his expression but he ordered the one called Rude to bring something to heal my wound and had Tseng unlock the cell. Fantastic. I had to surmise that Sephiroth, or at least Kadaj, had counted on them killing me but it looked as though he'd actually saved me by jumping the gun. Finally, he was done playing that ridiculous role. I'd expected no less, he wouldn't have kept on sending that bunch of idiots to fail time and again. Not when he could accomplish it himself. This could turn into an all-out war if I couldn't talk some sense into him. When could I do it though? Surely, I'd be too busy getting pestered by the greenhorns to slip away.

Oh well. At this point, I'd make do with whatever opportunity that arose. For the time being there were other things for me to worry about. I'd gotten Rufus to give me a chance but what about the others? What about Zack? I'd put him through so much and lived while he himself was slain. How ironic that he, a simple run-away, was killed while I, a highly dangerous deserter, managed to elude the army as well as these gentlemen and woman in suits. Whatever the case, I hoped Angeal could and would vouch for me, if need be.

Sephiroth~

I did my best to keep my grip on the struggling blonde. We were at least a couple hundred feet in the air and he was still trying to get away. Was he aware that if he succeeded he'd fall to his death? I would've made somewhat of an effort to calm him down if his pleading wasn't so amusing. Besides, he didn't deserve any sympathy from me, he'd allowed that raven-haired imbecile to kiss him! I should've acted sooner, of course Fair would try something like that.

He'd always had the nasty habit of waltzing in and committing theft. It didn't matter what it was, food, friends, lithe blonde cadets, other various things, if I showed the slightest interest then he took it. Granted, I never talked to him about it. And for the longest time I didn't talk to or about Cloud. I merely noticed him shortly after his arrival and found myself unable to look away whenever he passed by. Soon I became enamored with him and began considering some sort of advancement, but he became more difficult to find. Or he would give me signs that he didn't want to talk to me. I saw him ducking me in the hallways upon occasion.

I let out a long sigh. As humorous as it was, his shouting was getting old. Perhaps I _should_ do something to make him a little more agreeable. It'd be nice if I could get him to cling to me rather than continually pushing and hitting me. I hadn't expected this kind of persistence from him. Based on what I could remember, I'd thought he would be meek and easy to manipulate. So I let him loose for a moment and caught him under the arms.

"What're you doing?" He shouted while kicking his dangling legs.

I thought about answering him but decided against it. There was no need to talk to him for the time being. That would make him feel safer than he did now and the objective was to spark as much fear as possible. How would I even put that into words? I'm coaxing a more pleasing behavior out of you? That would be one way to put it I suppose, but making him aware of that would prove to be more detrimental than anything.

Much to my surprise, he was still trying to wriggle and free his arms. I noted that he was looking down; thought he could use the trees to break his fall, did he? One could be fairly certain that he'd still be injured quite severely even if he snapped a few branches to lower his momentum. Hmm, should I drop him? No. I went in the other direction and tossed him up in the air instead.

It left me feeling like some sort of energy had been released. Interesting, I felt as though a portion of my anger had been tossed with him. Oh! Whoops, he was coming back down; had to catch him.

"W-what's wrong with you?" His eyes were wide and watery, and here I'd thought he'd be unconscious.

I repeated the action wordlessly once more. This time I wasn't sure why I did it, he looked like he was going to be less trouble and yet something in me just… Oh no. I'd thrown him in a manner that caused him to travel a ways instead coming straight back down. He might end up breaking a branch anyway. No big deal, I guess. As long as he didn't die. I was prepared to heal him if I had to. He was **not** allowed to die on me. I knew part of the original plan was to kill him but that was feeling less and less necessary.

I swooped down and caught him by the ankle just before he hit the treetops. By this point he was screaming as though I were murdering him. The notion wasn't absurd; he could have easily died had I not acted. And though the sound was grating on my ears I let him continue, for now anyway. It was strange that he had refrained from passing out. He was so delicate I'd assumed he'd be gone after the first toss. Although, the fact that he hadn't made things more interesting. Had Fair done me a favor by making him more durable? It was nice to know he wouldn't be blacking out so easily. Not that I'd yet decided what I was going to do. Still too many options. And, somehow, nothing seemed befitting. Perhaps I was over thinking it. I'd never had the time to plot it out like this. Whenever I'd seen the blonde before I'd merely lashed out at him. But that was a different Cloud, that insolent traitor who showed no remorse for his heinous actions. Distressing Mother so terribly by acting out, and now he would pay accordingly. I simply wasn't certain on what would be the correct punishment. It would not be death, though that was what Mother had asked of me. That was what I had wanted. But now… I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it. Not after all I'd gone through to reclaim him.

"Stop!" He yelled, "You're pulling my foot off!"

Somehow that sounded a bit dramatic. A bone may be on the verge of breaking but I had to doubt his foot was going to separate from the rest of his body. It was entirely possible but with the grip I had now it would take a while. Oh well, the thought was enough to make me swing him back upright. And, much to my pleasure, he wrapped his arms around my neck and clung to me like a startled cat.

"That's better," I smirked. Now I could focus on reaching the rendezvous point. I could easily fly straight back to that abandoned manor but the others couldn't fly. Idiots, complicating things. I suppose I could easily keep moving without them. They knew how to get back. But that was the problem; I couldn't risk them screwing anything else up. Being the straw that broke the chocobo's leg and all. If any of them did anything to mess this up now, I didn't care what it meant, I **would** kill them!

"Um…"

"Hm?" Oh. He was speaking to me again, "What?"

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see soon enough," Even though he wouldn't in a way. So what was the purpose of the question? He must have an ulterior motive. His expression was strange, "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick…"

What? Oh right, he used to get motion sickness. Well I certainly didn't want him to get sick on me. Damn, I'd have to land. It might be a better idea to walk to rest of the way; he wouldn't be able to see as well on the ground. Then there was the matter of what to do when I found the others. Should I knock him out or blindfold him? Better just wait and see what seems more appropriate I guess. It wasn't a necessity, just a precaution, but I would prefer that he didn't know exactly where he was. On the off chance that someone messed something up. Whether it be he escaped or found some way of contacting his friends. Would that also entail that he wasn't permitted to be outside no matter what?

That sounded cruel but he _did_ deserve it. I wouldn't go so far as to never let him out of that box of a room though. Mostly because I knew I would get sick of being in that cramped room myself. And I couldn't just leave him in there by himself all the time. I didn't want him to become crazed due to solitary confinement.

Continuing to think on it, I landed on the ground and kept an arm around him while he attempted to settle his urge to vomit.

"Let go," He groaned. I narrowed my eyes at his greening complexion and decided to comply.

"Very well," I sighed, "If you try to run I'll break your leg." He nodded before wandering off into the nearby foliage. Good, he appeared to understand that I wasn't one to be trifled with. Though, to be completely honest, I wasn't sure if I would actually go through with it. It didn't matter, as long as he didn't believe it was an empty threat. If I did I would certainly heal it as soon as I thought it was alright to do so. Broken limbs seemed less than ideal.

Observing our current surroundings, we weren't far from where the others should be. I say _should_ because I'd instructed them to fall back after only ten minutes. Provided a distraction was even necessary. I didn't hear even the faintest sounds of gunfire. That had to mean there was no need for violence. I could only hope they were where they were supposed to be. It was risky to wait for them in one spot. Though I was certain it would take the idiots a day or so to regroup and give chase. At least Fair was out of the picture. It was surprising that the boy wasn't reacting a bit more strongly to the death of the raven-haired dimwit. Usually he'd be screaming and trying to kill me. Or maybe just trying to kill me. He didn't really bother to scream at me as of late. And yet… He seemed to lack the gall to do so, considering he wasn't proving to be too defiant. He returned, as I'd suggested.

"We're walking from here," I said while offering my hand, "Come here."

He looked at the extremity with what I could only call disgust, "I'll stay over here," He replied. Ah, there was the defiance.

"My, my, aren't we brave?" I felt a smirk spread. The moment I'd said something the blonde appeared to shrink back and avoid looking at me. Quite an impressive front, but it wasn't worth the effort if he couldn't keep it up. "Get over here," I said sternly.

"I'm not going anywhere," He frowned, "I just don't want to-"

I narrowed my eyes and grabbed his arm before he could continue to irritate me. I couldn't care less about what he wanted. He would have to learn to do what I say when I say it, otherwise...

"Ow!"

"Still talking back?" I asked, "You're bolder than I thought." Honestly, why wouldn't you do what your captor says? It was something all captives attempted. And this was a very typical case, he was weaker than me but he was still testing my patience. As if it would affect me in any way.

"Let go!"

"Never again." I'd had to relinquish him to too many people more times than I'd like. He was only alive now because of me. I'd made the decision to spare him! Him and Fair, the latter being a mistake, but that was beside the point. Cloud was still here because of me, and for more reasons than the afore mentioned. Why shouldn't he belong to me? It made sense for me to own him. And he would understand that; no matter how long it took. I would make sure of it. He **would** be subservient to me.

"Wait!" The small blonde shouted. He started digging his heels into the dirt again and tried to pull away from me.

"I don't have time to play games right now," I sighed. I could play with him all he wanted later but getting off of the continent was more important for the time being.

"Fine! Just let go!"

"I already told you I won't," I tightened my grip and listened to the shouts turn to whimpers. "I suggested that you try not to be difficult and you're off to a poor start."

"What're you-"

"Stop arguing with me!" I growled. I wasn't in the mood for a weak struggle. He appeared to try and keep quieter but the struggles didn't cease. There had to be something wrong, or was he really so dumb as to continue pestering me to the point of rage? "What's the problem?" I asked, agitation in my voice.

"You-you…" His voice was weak and choked, suppose that meant he was going to cry. At this point I didn't know what to do. He was irritating me, should I strike him? But, at the same time, I didn't want to make him cry. Not right now. That would mean more noise and I don't know. Better just continue to wait for him to force out whatever he was going to say. I continued moving but listened while he timidly tripped over his words. "You're breaking my arm," He finally said in a small voice.

I stopped and paid close attention to what I was doing. His humorous was indeed cracking. "So I am," I said before releasing him. Of course it was only temporary. I wrapped an arm around his waist and lifted his feet off the ground before I continued on toward the shore. He struggled, despite my instruction, but couldn't stop me from slinging him over my shoulder. He let out a sound of indignation and continued flailing his legs. I'd expected him to pound on my back with his fists, quite a shock when he didn't. He merely used his hands as leverage while he tried to get free. Perhaps he'd thought it through and decided against hitting me.

I was pleased to see the three standing there waiting for me. They looked as though they hadn't had to fight like I'd thought. Good, that meant we wouldn't have to waste time tending to any injuries. Not to mention Yazoo hadn't yet recovered from that last defeat at the hands of Genesis. He'd been well enough to walk but I'd noted that he probably wouldn't have lasted much longer should he endure another serious battle. They watched me stride up to the vessel I'd had them commandeer and toss the boy in. I turned to face them with a look of conquest, "Now did you all see how easy that was?"

Zack~

"Stop worrying about me and go after him!" I couldn't believe they were wasting time. I'd been unconscious for hours and now they were still running around trying to take care of me. I wasn't the one in trouble here! Every second they spent bandaging me Sephiroth was getting further away with Cloud! And no matter how many times I told them they wouldn't go. It was like they didn't hear me. "Cloud needs our help!"

"We know," Tifa said while trying her best to stay calm, "But none of us are up to the task of facing Sephiroth."

"There are **four** of you!" I yelled back.

"And three remnants," Cid cut in, "Even if the four of us went after them it wouldn't end the way you want it to. Either one or none of us would be left to deal with that monster."

"We've faced him before," Tifa sighed, "But I'll admit that we really relied on Cloud."

"All but used him as a crutch," The older man commented.

"Yes," Tifa furrowed her eyebrows, "Because Cloud could match his strength and speed. Now we need to wait for you to heal before we can go after them. One of us can hardly manage one of the remnants alone. It'd be a suicide mission."

Dammit! She was right. They wouldn't last without someone as powerful as a SOLDIER operative. And with Cloud being in his current predicament as well as being kidnapped… guess I was the new crutch. But I'd lost when I'd faced Sephiroth. And it wasn't like I hadn't gone out there prepared. I couldn't believe it. I'd had my doubts, that was true, and yet I'd never thought that he'd beat me so easily. I _did_ notice that the battle wasn't like the last time I'd faced him. He appeared to have picked up some underhanded tactics. Using Cloud like that to make me hesitate. It was things like that that made me so nervous about leaving him with Sephiroth. He may have told me he wasn't going to kill him, but I had **no** doubt that he would hurt him.

"I'm sorry," I sighed, "I know, I just feel awful."

"We all do," Vincent spoke up as he entered the room. He was carrying several things that would help me heal faster, but none of it would get me on my feet in any less than a week. I was covered in cuts and lacerations, none of them were too deep, and I had no idea why. It wasn't as though I'd been able to shield myself. He'd taken me by surprise with an octaslash. Usually people wouldn't come back from that. Still, the fact remained that Sephiroth had succeeded in incapacitating me. It didn't matter if he was trying to kill me, he got what he really wanted. And…

"It's all my fault…" I rested my head on my hand.

"No Zack," Tifa answered, her voice almost scolding, "Stop blaming yourself. It's not like you." It was sweet of her to say so, but she wasn't there. She didn't know what I'd done.

"But it is," I argued, "It was me who took him out there! He had a bad feeling! He wanted to come back! And I- I wouldn't listen to him… Even when I started feeling it too."

"What?" Vincent asked, "What do you mean?"

"He'd been worried practically since we walked out the door," I started. I'd blamed it on the soreness, and he wasn't telling me anything. But that was only the beginning. What were they going to do when I told them all of the things I'd ignored? "He was really nervous, constantly looking around, over his shoulder. I'd told him it was fine, when something really strange happened; I thought I was only seeing things." They waited, I couldn't read their emotions from their expressions. None of them looked angry, it didn't make sense. Why wouldn't they be furious with me? "It was his eyes," I continued, "His pupils turned to slits."

"What?" Tifa blurted out.

"What does that mean?" The gunman appeared to stay rational.

"I don't know," I answered, "It was only for a second and then they went back to normal. I thought it was nothing, but Sephiroth showed up not soon after."

"Didn't his eyes used to go all wonky like that when Sephiroth was controlling him?" Cid asked the others.

"I'm not sure…" Tifa knelt down beside me, "And we can't ask him now. But that doesn't mean it was your fault," She told me.

"S'true," The older man said, "We all woulda ignored it."

"But he told me he wanted to come back," I persisted, "That combined with the weirdness… I should've listened."

"We told you to keep him away no matter what," Tifa sighed, "We're all to blame. You don't need to be so hard on yourself."

I'd like to believe that. And what she was saying was almost making sense. But my guilt wouldn't rest, I should've done something! Something more than what little I was able to do. Why didn't I contact anyone? It was stupid to try and fight him myself! They all thought I could do it, I'd thought I would stand a chance, but I- It was the same as always. There was only one man who could face Sephiroth and win, Cloud. Though as he was now he wouldn't be able to defeat that psycho, he couldn't even defend himself. We had to do something, but what? Anything I was coming up with felt like it'd end in death.

Looking out the window I tried my best to take a breath and stay calm. The sun was setting. It seemed like only minutes ago it was sunrise and we were back on the mountain. Cloud had been gone all day. Where was he now? Dammit! All any of us could do was sit here uselessly and hope he was okay. Since when did hoping do anything for anybody? This was awful! I needed help, we needed help, Cloud needed help! We needed Angeal!

"Zack, calm down," Vincent said as he handed the items to Tifa.

"I'm sorry," I couldn't help it.

"Stop apologizing," Both Tifa and Cid said at once.

I was going to apologize for apologizing so much when something outside caught my eye. It was so brief that I couldn't tell what it was, I could only see that it was a dark color. Wait, this had happened before. But when? Geez, my head wasn't working correctly. Did I have a concussion?

"Hey!" Cid snapped his fingers, "The last thing we need you doin' is spacing out."

"I wasn't," I answered only partially paying attention, "There was something outside."

**(A/N)** This one is another short filler like I'd said it would be, but I wanted to post this before I got too sidetracked with Skyward Sword.


End file.
